I’ve been riding the new 12-speed Shimano GRX groupset for a few months now, so I have a good feel for how it performs in real world riding conditions. In fact, my GRX-equipped Black Mountain Cycles Mod Zero has seen a wide range of gravel, singletrack and adventure riding, and it’s performed extremely well in all of it. Be sure to check out my Getting Rolling post to see the specifics of how I built the bike. A Lasting Good Impression The overall performance of 12-speed GRX makes it easy to question the need for electronic shifting. Much like its 11-speed predecessor, Shimano’s 12-speed GRX ..read more

Old Man Mountain Juniper Trunk, Ponderosa Panniers: At The Finish Note: Old Man Mountain sent over a set of Ponderosa Panniers, and Juniper Trunk Bag, and a Divide Rack for test and review at no charge to Riding Gravel/Guitar Ted Productions. I have not been paid nor bribed for this review and I always strive to give you my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.  Ponderosa Panniers: The Ponderosa Panniers are very stable and low profile bags. I wrote the introduction for the Ponderosa Panniers (HERE) earlier this year and since then they have lived on the Singular Gryphon fully packed ..read more

State Bicycle Co. Cargo Cage & All-Road Disc Brake Calipers: At The Finish Note: I received the products mentioned in this review at no charge to me. State Bicycle Co. did not bribe me, nor are they paying me for this review. I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.  It is time to close out the review of the State Bicycle Co. components I was sent back in August to test. I’ll cover the Cargo Cage and Molded Straps first, then we’ll get to the brake calipers. If you’ve missed all the spec data and introduction to this post, Click Here. State Bicycle Co Cargo ..read more

WTB Silverado v2 Saddle: At The Finish – by Guitar Ted NOTE: WTB sent over a Silverado titanium railed saddle at no charge for test and review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and views throughout.  WTB’s new Silverado saddle (Image courtesy of WTB) It is time to wrap up this WTB Silverado saddle review so let’s get to it! If you missed the mid-term update, you can find that HERE with a link there to the introduction. In that update I mentioned that the only real question I had left was whether or not this new version of the Silver ..read more

Ergon GP1 Evo Grips: Quick Review – by Guitar Ted Note: Ergon sent over a pair of their new GP1 Evo grips to Guitar Ted Productions for test and review at no charge. Guitar Ted was not paid nor bribed for this review and he will always strive to give his honest thoughts and views throughout. The Ergon GP1 Evo grips were introduced about a month ago now (Here) and I’ve had enough time on them now for a bit of a Quick Review. So, check that link for the details on the price, design, and so-forth. This will be all about my impressions of this new grip. The Ergon GP1 Evo as mounted to Guitar Ted ..read more

Wilde Bikes X Country Bar: At The Finish – by Guitar Ted Note: Wilde Bike Co sent over the handlebar here on review at no charge to Guitar Ted. He is not being paid, nor bribed for this review and he will always strive to give his honest thoughts and views throughout. I’ve ridden this Wilde Bicycle Co. Country Bar enough now that I think I have a pretty good read on it. First of all, handle bars, saddles, much of the apparel we wear, etc, is going to be a subjective choice and my take may not be your take. But if you already understand that, you’ll grab what you need from this review and come ..read more

Bookman Volume Light: Quick Review – by Guitar Ted Note: Bookman sent over the Volume light, (as well as some previously reviewed products) for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and opinions throughout.  Well, now that I’ve used this light several times I have some impressions to share. All the technical data and specs are found in Part 1 of this review HERE. Click that before you fire off any questions about run times, batteries, etc. This post will mainly deal with how t ..read more

Gravel Grinder News: Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame Nomination Period is Open – by MG Nomination period closes December 1, 2023 The Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame (GCHOF) is excited to announce the opening of nominations to the public for the next class of inductees. Starting November 1st, 2023, through December 1st, 2023, the cycling community is invited to submit nominations for individuals who have made significant contributions to the world of gravel cycling. According to GCHOF Founding Board Member, Lelan Dains, the mission of Gravel Cycling Hall of Fame is recognize the people that have i ..read more

Enduro Bearings Components: At The Finish – by Guitar Ted Notice: Enduro Bearings sent over its components in this review for test and review to Guitar Ted Productions at no charge. I am not being paid, nor bribed, for this review, and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and views throughout. See part one HERE Enduro Bearings makes components for all these parts of bicycles. Late in July of this year I received some Enduro Bearings components to install in my bicycles. I chose the Twin Six Standard Rando as my test sled. Previously, I had installed an outboard bearing, Shimano-type ..read more

WTB Silverado v2 Saddle: Checkpoint – by Guitar Ted NOTE: WTB sent over a Silverado titanium railed saddle at no charge for test and review. I was not paid, nor bribed for this review and I always strive to give my honest thoughts and views throughout.  Back in September I received a WTB Silverado saddle, the new version, and now I have several rides on it I want to update this review with my thoughts. The introduction can be seen here. I also rode the Gravelier saddle a few times in between riding the new Silverado to see what, if any differences there are. Both saddles are of the newer ..read more