It’s that time of year again, if you’re one of those people who likes to ride 200 miles through the Flint Hills of Kansas you know what I’m talking about: The Unbound 200 registration lottery opened and closed late last month. Did you get in? It looks like I’ll be lining up for my seventh this time around. Over the years I’ve loved some editions of the race and hated others, but one thing is true: Each Unbound is an experience you’ll likely never forget.
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In 2020 I dreamt up a route that both thrilled me and terrified me. A Super Sized ride, if you will. Over the years my definition of such a ride has constantly morphed from “I wonder what it would be like to ride my bike for two hours” to their current iteration: Ambitious single day routes built around idealistic objectives. Most often the objectives are peaks, or mountain passes, or geographical features that make me feel infinitely small when I finally arrive at them. Tiny tiny person, huge huge landscape; that’s my ideal, my singularity. That contrast charges me up and fills me with the sense that I am indeed living life, not watching it pass by from the sidelines. I have a small collection of these rides among my memories. They are among my most precious adventure memories: Black Bear + Imogene, Antero, Breck Super Loop, Three Passes, Denver to Kansas, Solo 200, White Rim Solo. There might be others. There are definitely others. Each of these rides gave me equal measures fear and ultimately elation upon completion. Many took more than one attempt to finish. If I were to point at why I ride bikes in an effort to explain it to people, I would point at these experiences.
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Cyclists don’t belong in the mountains once the snow starts flying. Indeed, conditions down in Denver itself were so bad on Saturday that any idea of a final ride of the year, high or low, was Ill advised. But after a week of holiday time off the bike I was anxious for an impulsive visit to the well of inspiration that is The Rockies.
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One of our supported riders, Ashley Carelock posted thoughts from her October completion (and category win) at Atlas Mountain Race in Morocco. Her report is more than just a race report, it’s a reflection on her experience overall, of the place, and on what it means to be a female ultra endurance racer. We highly recommend you take time to check it out on her website here:
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Rodeo Labs has been supporting the development of a new bikepacking event in Armenia for two years now, and the race is set to have its first edition on June 25, 2023. In this episode of the Rodeo Podcast, Stephen talks with Tom, Tatev, and Jay P about the work done thus far, the “why” of the event, and what the goals are for it. Armenia is a beautiful, challenging, and welcoming country for bikepackers and bike tourers alike, and Rodeo is proud to help support the effort to introduce this place to more riders.
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Bike Gear Database took notice of the Switch Up 2.0 TD4 build that we completed recently and sent us over a bunch of questions about the bike. The Switch Up concept uses clever, easy-to-use hydraulic couplers which allow for swapping flat bar to drop bars in about ten minutes or less. The couplers also allow for traveling with TD4 builds that use the fully integrated / internal routing option that the platform supports. If not for the couplers it would not be possible to adequately take apart and pack an integrated routing bicycle which is something that ALL integrated bikes on the market today potentially suffer from. We are happy to report that we’ve solved the problem and the results speak for themselves! Check the article for details.
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Bikepacking.com kindly invited our senior intern to share some thoughts on our new TD4, it’s history, and how we came to be where we are with the bike’s evolution. Stephen took the opportunity to have a wink at the way the bike industry develops bikes, and the skepticism often seen from consumers when a new bike debuts. If you’re interested in hearing where Rodeo and our bikes come from, have a hop over to bikepacking.com for the full read.
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Integrated bars, stems, and headsets are all the rage in the cycling industry right now because they allow companies to design sleeker, prettier bikes, and many people love riding sleeker, prettier bikes. Our new Traildonkey 4.0 platform is fully compatible with integration if you chose to go that route. But should you build your TD4 (or Flaanimal) with an integrated cockpit? That is a decision to weigh carefully before you take the plunge.
But first, let’s make sure everyone is on the same page with terms.
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Photos by Samuel Fitzgerald, Sheldon Thompson, and Stephen Fitzgerald
It was near midnight June 06, 2021. Emporia, Kansas. I lay in bed restless before the Unbound 200 gravel race. Nerves were high, as is common before events like this, and sleep comes slowly, perhaps even not at all for some. Sometimes you push through insomnia like this and your body finds its way to let go and rest. Other times you push the home button on your phone, because you heard it vibrate. Not the double buzz of a text message, but the single buzz of some other random notification. In recent years I’ve actually learned to put my phone in airplane mode at night, because a single notification can easily ruin a perfectly good night’s sleep. This one did:
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We’ve been hard at work in the spray booth in 2022 and as we lean into the final months of the year it is worth having a look back at some highlights of our work.
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