Gravel Bike Versus Road Bike
A few years ago when the gravel bike trend was starting to take off, one of my local Wise Veteran Riders sniffed "I can do all that stuff on my road bike."
Great. Maybe he can hop off the pavement …
cycling
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 …
Coolest Things to do in 2015
I won’t drink until I soil myself. I’ll cut back on snorting rat poison. I’ll quit inhaling high-fructose corn syrup by the troughful.
These are the spirit of New Year’s resolutions: things we won’t do anymore. Me? I don’t do …
New Estrella Trails a Bit of a Mystery
The people who built the FINS trails in the Estrella community of Southwest Phoenix are up to their old tricks again – but this time, they seem to be building new Estrella trails with the blessing of landowners.
I went …
Your Opinion: The Best Hydration Packs
I’m looking for your advice about the best hydration packs out there.
See, my Camelbak MULE is ratty and old. It’s salt-encrusted and engrodiated. It’s missing a zipper pull or two. The cat may have peed on it for all …
Cost of Mountain Biking: What’s it Worth?
There’s an endless number of ways to stay fit – and to stave off boredom. But to me, mountain biking is a blend of exercise and fun that is hard to beat, and I have nearly two decades of priceless …
Be Good to Your Dog – Keep it Leashed
I love dogs. It’s just the people who hold their leashes who I often want to boil in a vat of porcupine urine. Or more accurately, it’s the people who should hold their leashes – but instead feel entitled to …
Boost Your Mountain Bike Cred – 6 Easy Steps
Mountain biking can make you look cool. You don’t even have to be fast or even good at it. Just learn which style buttons to push. Follow this advice and trick everyone into thinking you’re a mountain bike Bodhisattva.
Ride …
Prescott Mountain Bike Trails – A Mixed Bag
It’s been years since I last sampled the Prescott mountain bike trails. I’d been a camp counselor there one summer, but that seems like eons ago. A few things I noticed recently made me want to visit again: A news …
Mountain Bike Reviews – Why They Suck
I hate mountain bike reviews. I hate them in magazines. I hate them on websites. And I double-dog hate them in podcasts.
But, but, but -- I do love quality mountain bike gear. I’m the target audience for mountain bike …
SixSixOne Helmet Review
A week before I picked up a SixSixOne helmet, I really hadn’t heard of this new-to-me mountain bike company. But then, I rarely think about my helmet much. Ride after ride, I plop it on my head and go.
Until …
Scottsdale’s New Mountain Biking Trails – First Impression
I’m not used to being confused while mountain biking near the Pima & Dynamite trails in Scottsdale. But today? Flumoxed, mixed up, mystified. Like “watching Vanilla Sky” puzzled.
I mean, these are the Pima & Dynamite trails, but not …
4 Dirty Lies Mountain Bikers Tell Bike Mechanics
Bike mechanics know when mountain bikers have abused or neglected their bikes – just like the dentist can tell that your choppers haven’t seen floss for the last four years. Here are some of the least-believable lines mountain bikers can …
X-Fusion 29er Fork – Slide 29 Gear Review -UPDATED
The group-think that can plague mountain bike culture led me to the new X-Fusion 29er fork. Many riders think you have to ride a 29er; you have to be on Strava. And of course, you absolutely must ride a RockFoxZocchi. …
Raleigh XXIX, Belt Drive, X-Fusion – A Few Thoughts
Something about this bike that makes me a happy, friendly rider. I realize it as I greet a mountain biker headed the opposite way. Every time I ride this thing, I get so chipper that I’d say "hello" to a …
First Ride on “New” Mountain Bike Trail – with video
Nothing gets me as excited quite like a new mountain bike trail. Or even a re-routing of an old favorite trail.
Ever since McDowell Mountain Regional Park announced that crews had re-routed a bit of its 15+-mile Pemberton (aka Trail …
What’s Your Oldest Bike Gear?
Back in my bike shop days, the other mechanics liked to say I was like junkyard owner Fred Sanford from the old TV series. I earned it, I guess – by not buying new stuff constantly, by wringing every last …
Traveler’s Overview: The Twin Cities
Wow, there’s something stinky on this Delta flight. Kind of like a bison pooped around seat 37D, and they used a dirty diaper soaked in Febreeze to clean it up.
This was the Facebook post that brought my trip to …
Challenge Yourself on a UK Bicycle Holiday
The English county of Yorkshire is an outdoor lover’s paradise. Locally known as God’s own county, the soaring mountain peaks and sweeping moorlands make Yorkshire one of the greenest places in the UK and the perfect place for a biking …
Portland: Bike Friendly, But Where’s the Mountain Bike Scene?
Singletracks.com has an interesting post called “8 Bike Culture Observations from Portland, OR.”
All its points ring true to me from my recent visit to Portland. The bike-friendly culture starts right at the airport – there’s a repair …