Why 2018 is the Year of the Gravel Bike
The year 2018 is going to be the Year of the Gravel Bike. Really, it might be already.
The Ongoing Gravel Bike Mission
This year, many of my rides have had a mission beyond logging miles. I’ve been trying to …
I’m a Dad, and I Have One Small Request for Playground Designers
This is a small request to playground designers from a dad doing his best to stay fit: Remember that adults spend a lot of time at the playgrounds you build, and we could also use a little something to burn …
The Population is Growing – Why So Many Smaller Airliners?
The last time I saw both my grandparents alive and together, I was 12 years old. I took an American Airlines 767 from Phoenix to Chicago. Today, the 767 is rare at Phoenix Sky Harbor. Typically, it’s a Boeing 737 …
A Few People are Upset About Scottsdale Bike Share Services
Something new happened in Scottsdale, and already a snobby sliver of the population is complaining. The "something new" I’m talking about is the rise of Scottsdale bike share services. In the last few months, brightly colored bikes for rent via …
Recap of El Tour de Tucson 2017
Within a few miles of starting El Tour De Tucson 2017 a few weeks ago, a mantra came to me out of the blue. It was a phrase I’d heard from a co-worker. It was "Calm yo’ tits." (Hearing it …
Recap: Prescott 6’er Mountain Bike Race
For the past year, I’ve ridden about 90 percent of my mountain bike miles on a belt-drive singlespeed (first a Raleigh XXIX, then a Domahidy Ti). The big question on my mind has been -- could I actually race …
Four Days in Denver
We recently escaped the summer heat to spend a few days near Denver. I wanted to go mountain biking, and we all wanted to stroll around as a family without getting flayed and fried under the sun. We also didn’t …
Can Condor Airlines Help Phoenix Become a "Real City?"
Condor Airlines just might help Phoenix become a real city. Here’s what I mean: Whenever Phoenix and Philadelphia play leapfrog in the city size rankings (which invariably makes our local journalists generate reams of predictable content), I always bring up …
24 Hours in the Enchanted Forest Race Report – Pedal With Warriors Team
Back in the old days, I worked at Adventure Bicycle Company in Mesa with this guy named Chad Hummer. He could race really damn fast, make an avalanche of jokes that started with the phrase “your mom” and also perpetrate …
Could Your Hotel Room Key Card Work on More Than One Room?
When you check into a resort and use your hotel room key card, do you ever think of a scene like this?
Shortly before midnight at a rural Clarion hotel in West Virginia, a man slips his key card into …
48 Hours in Atlanta – Business Travel Edition
I recently had a chance to spend 48 hours in Atlanta. Since it was strictly for business, I didn’t have much time for recreation. Any fun I had would come in the form of a tasty beverage following a …
First Impressions of a Titanium Mountain Bike
I’ve wanted a titanium mountain bike ever since I started mountain biking. Of course, 1993 Justin had no idea that, when he would eventually get his ti fighter, it would have 29-inch wheels, a single belt-driven gear and a tapered …
Riding Hard with Fuel100 Electro-Bites: A Review
For the first time in a few weeks, I did a long mountain bike without a stash of Fuel100 Electro-Bites. I’d run completely out of them, so I dug back into my extensive stash of gels.
And here’s the …
Is the Olfi One.Five Camera Better Than a GoPro?
It’s easy to understand how I wound up with an Olfi One.Five camera: I like sticking it to The Man. I have never owned a Gibson guitar or Marshall amp — Carvin guitars and Fryette amps for me, thanks. And …
My Favorite Bars for Craft Beer in New Zealand Edition
If you like traveling and craft beer, I have a destination for you: New Zealand. The Kiwis grow all sorts of great stuff in their country — a sense of adventure, friendliness — and heaping amounts of craft beer-compliant hops. …
When Should You Get a New Mountain Bike?
WARNING: This blog post about buying a new mountain bike is ridiculously old! Here is some better, newer content about this topic.
How to Buy a Full Suspension Bike
Thinking About Buying a Bike in 2021?
Of course, this is …
This Human-Powered Monorail is the Coolest Contraption Ever
As a longtime cyclist, I can tell you that there is nothing dorkier than a recumbent bicycle. But stuff a recumbent bike into a metal-and-plastic pod, hang it from a bunch of steel beams and all of a sudden you’ve …
Rogue Trailbuilders at Work in Papago Park?
In the summer of 2016, the city of Phoenix caused an uproar by destroying an important mountain bike trail at Papago Park and turning most of the really fun spots into a 5k running path.
Look, this wasn’t the world’s …
Mountain Biking in Nelson, New Zealand
The very same day I mountain biked in the Whakarewarewa Forest, I started to wonder where else in New Zealand I could ride. Our itinerary would take us to a sheep farm, Wellington and then on to Nelson. So …
Review: PRO Packing Cubes and Gate Check Pro XL
This summer, I started testing a few new travel products – one for a problem I’ve always had, and another for a brand-new problem caused by traveling with a child stroller.
Getting the Most Out of Luggage Space: PRO Packing …