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Home > Magazine > Bikes
MMBA Expo: Mt-Bike Show this Sunday!
January 28, 2010 - This Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, is the MMBA's Annual Meeting and Bike Expo. It runs most of the day at the MSU Pavilion in East Lansing. There's a free indoor dirt track for your winter riding pleasure. And the main guest speaking is Dave Wiens of Colorado, a retired mtbike pro racer and 6X champ of the Leadville 100...where he...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Winner of Copenhagen Citybike Design Contest...
January 28, 2010 - Copenhagen had a citybike design contest this past year for the bike that they'll offer in a citywide bikeshare program. Here's what won... The link shows the runner-ups, the details and program goals. Interesting that 20" wheels and a very stout front platform won the day. 20" wheels that are narrow, as these look to be, r...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Veloquent: a blog of bike inspiration
January 28, 2010 - Veloquent is a blog dedicated to bike writing. It has a dozen contributors to try to keep the ball rolling. The archive is pretty deep. Kent Peterson and Jacquie Phelan are among the gang...  > Read Article | Go to Website
NAHBS: the big bike show! In Virginny 2/26-28
January 28, 2010 - The National Handmade Bicycle Show is being held in Richmond, VA, this year, from 2/26-28. It's worth a trip to the WEBSITE alone! Just cast your eyes over the scrolling array of bikes from all the exhibitors: there is more creativity, variety and richness here than in any YEARs'-worth stack of bike mags you can find anywhere!...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Hipsters Discussing Cyclocross: If It's New to You! : )
January 27, 2010 - Here's a funny Text-to-Movie video that probably everyone has seen, but if you haven't, enjoy! (Heck, I even linked to it already, in my buried ol' 'cross report.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGH7vBC2nw Read Article | Go to Website
Hitler wants to ride his mt-bike: just in case you haven't seen it...
January 27, 2010 - Just in case you haven't seen this Hitler Remix: Read Article | Go to Website
Bike Monkey: bike culture magazine, blog
January 26, 2010 - Here's a link to Bike Monkey, a mag, blog and event-host that offers a big taste of a CX mentality that spreads out to cover all forms of cycling. This means that BM is strong on heritage and socializing. ...Those are the two main areas that are booming right now in cycling and which have been hurting bad for decades except...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Riding Pretty: bike fashion blog and shoppe
January 26, 2010 - Here's a bike fashion blog and shoppe from an enthusiast who makes fashionable helmet covers and covers the scene of good looks on bikes. This photo is from the 1/2010 issue of Bazaar magazine. I liked her report on converting a bike jersey into a minidress by sewing on extra length. Does that mean you need to buy 2 jersies to...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Far-out Bikewear
January 26, 2010 - Here's a bikewear company that makes TONS of things, often available in far-out fabric designs. I kinda like the Camo shorts, but wish they had a Camo jersey, too. It's a bit hard to follow everything they offer. Some things are shown as photos, others as sketches. Do they make club jersies and offer printing? I can't tell...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Velomobiles! --World Seminar Papers
January 26, 2010 - I've long been keen on Velomobiles. These are bikes designed to replace the car for people. And they are designed to do what cars do. So it's more than using your bike instead of a car. Velomobiles are designed to haul cargo and to project a rider from the weather and from minor crashes. They're usually 3- or 4-wheelers. There...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Gran Fondo! The "big day" is catching on!
January 26, 2010 - Gran Fondos are taking the bike scene by storm! They started in Italy but they've spread over here in the USA bigtime. Levi Leipheimer is hosting one that I posted about here already. Then there's the Cino Heroica: http://www.biciveneto.it/granfondo.html. It's a two-day ride into the mountains in Montana, mostly on dirt ro...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Patrick "Mad Dog" O'Grady: Bike Ranter and Cartoonist
January 26, 2010 - His cartoons and rants are legendary in the bike biz. I read 'em for years in VeloNews. He includes politics and the rest of the culture in the crosshairs of his scope. Here's his blog... http://maddogmedia.com/wordpress/  > Read Article | Go to Website
Velocouture: all about knee socks
January 26, 2010 - I'm picking up speed in the kneesocks department. I've been pushing knickers and high, high socks for XC skiing for awhile now. I've even veered them into cycling where knickers have been big for awhile now but usually in lycra and with short socks. I even admit to stepping out on the town in more of a formal knicker and high...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Vic's Classic Bikes: a Vintage B&M + Web shop in Louisville, KY
January 26, 2010 - Vic runs a bike shop in Louisville, KY, that specializes in finding and fixing up classic road steel. He comes across some true classics that cost quite a bit -- like $850 -- and he also offers some groovier yard sale types, like retro Schwinn Varsities or old Viscounts. His blog gives a description of each bike for sale. Not sur...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Cycloculture: bike blog -- lots of guru interviews
January 26, 2010 - The "Cycloculture" blog is written by Forbes Black. Here's a blog that gives a wide range of lowdown on the bike culture world stage. He also presents ongoing interviews with interesting folks in the bike world, nearly all bike-makers. It's not all interviews, but that's a big part of his contribution to the scene. Here's the lis...  > Read Article | Go to Website
AdventureCorps "80 for Haiti" Event & Fundraiser for MercyCorps
January 25, 2010 - [Newsflash from Chris Kostman, outdoor event organizer...] "L'Union Fait la Force" (Strength Through Unity) -- National Motto of Haiti AdventureCORPS, Inc., an athlete-run firm producing some of the world's toughest sports events, will host "80 FOR HAITI," a cycling benefit ride for Haiti relief supporting Mer...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Momentum #43: The Gear Issue
January 20, 2010 - Man, "Momentum" is a jam-packed mag, all right! Dozens of bite-sized, colorful goodies... Here's a link to their online PDF or Issu version. High tech! Or just subscribe and take that paper with ya... TABLE OF CONTENTS Featured Articles Biking in a Rainforest City: Vancouver BC A Guide to the Perfect Vacation ...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Cat 3": ...To be continued!
December 12, 2009 - I know you were going nuts to find out what happened at The Club Time Trial. (I gave a couple scans leading into it from Issue #2 in the previous post about this sweet old bike race comic. Here's a link to the post: http://outyourbackdoor.com/article.php?id=1350.) Actually, THIS is the continuation, but whatever... We...  > Read Article
"Cat 3": Scans from the Best Bike Comic Ever!
December 11, 2009 - Merry Xmas, bike-freak people! I found my old stash of "Cat 3" comics and scanned a few choice pages for you. I used to reprint various pages back in my print-zine OYB days. I haven't seen this comic available anywhere since the mid 1990's. They're not even on the collector scene. I think there were only 4 issues and I hav...  > Read Article
Tis the Season!
December 02, 2009 - Pal Rodger Bowser of Ann Arbor went and fetched their Xmas tree with his bike and young'un. It worked! Looks good!  > Read Article
Ode to a Kabuki...
December 02, 2009 - "My Fixie, My Kabuki" by Rodger Bowser Last week was one of the saddest days ever for me in the the garage. I was fine-tuning my Lemond into a 1X8 cyclocross machine and I had some extra time to look at getting the Kabuki back up in running. It is almost winter, after all. I was going to give it the usual new chain w...  > Read Article
My First CX Race! ...First TWO, that is!
November 30, 2009 - I finally did my first CX race yesterday. First TWO races, that is. It's Hard to Race ...I mean, to GET THERE I fought against entropic forces trying to keep me from attending and just went and did it. I had it planned and penciled in but life kept getting busier right when I should've been getting ready and fabric...  > Read Article
Bike books of the Pro Life: "A Dog in a Hat" and "Tales from the Toolbox"
November 24, 2009 - I recently read two "underdog" bike books, "A Dog in a Hat" by Joe Parkin and "Tales from the Toolbox" by Scott Parr. Joe Parkin was a bottom-rung pro bike racer in Europe in the late 80's. That is, he had what it took to be a worker for the best, a domestique. He also did his own local-style racing on the side -- as a pro in...  > Read Article
Here's a Nod to CX: My First Try Coming Up!
November 13, 2009 - I was going to do my first cyclocross race a couple weeks ago but I chickened out. (Got too busy. ...Had never even practiced it.) Anyway, it's still that time of year! It seems like a fun sport. It's park-based. With beer. I just ride for fun in the summer so I only get into a bit of shape by autumn. What to do? CX! ...  > Read Article
Wildest Bike Videos Ever: Lucas Brunelle
November 13, 2009 - Lucas Brunelle is the godfather of bike action video. He shows the over-the-top world of the messengers. He started with NYC vids and has since gone around the world shooting. Check out both his site and his YouTubes. I think other folks put them up on YT. They often remix new music to them. I posted about him here years...  > Read Article
Pittsburgh, PA, Event: PUNK BIKE ENDURO XX (12/6)
November 06, 2009 - [I just got this notice courtesy of Maurice Tierney, publisher of Dirt Rag. I like this level of bike event. It's the base layer. The roots. Keep it in your mix! --JP] OUTLAWS READ UP THIS TIME FOR NEW INFO!!!!!!!!!!! COME TO THE 20TH ANNUAL PUNK BIKE ENDURO SUNDAY DECEMBER 6TH, 2009 11 AM SHARP NEW LOCAT...  > Read Article
Potto Fest! -- 25th Anniversary
November 02, 2009 - I rode the Potto Fest, my first "real" mtbike ride in years. The Potto is ranked 68th best trail in the USA. It's 16.5 miles and is an Expert loop. 20 or so riders showed up. No fee, no permit. The weather was perfect. Cool and sunny, 40'sF. Several ladies. Several singles (speeds). (The previous day -- wet'n'rainy -- was ...  > Read Article
Birthday Week in the Colors!
October 28, 2009 - I consider the whole week of my birthday to be my week. Maybe it's because the weather is so unpredictable. Whenever it's nice that week (this week!), I head out for a delightful hour-long romp in the colors. The ball started rolling with a short-notice small-group toodle (with Vardy, Steve and John) when the weather broke las...  > Read Article
OYB Bags in Italy: on Tour & in L'Eroica
October 27, 2009 - Here's a photo essay on a bike touring trip to Italy that an OYB customer took recently. Henry Roberts and his friend Reed Gregerson went over there for a tour and to ride the famous L'Eroica vintage bike marathon held over a challenging 205km route featuring the Strada Bianca -- the white gravel roads that bike races used to be ...  > Read Article
"The Dancing Chain": hugely expanded 3rd ed.
October 22, 2009 - [$60 direct from the publisher, VDP. I've sold the 2nd ed and will likely stock this new 3rd ed.] The subtitle of this big hardcover book is "History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle." Offhand, this would seem like a total bike geek's book. And it is. But it's much more than that. I think it does a great job of pullin...  > Read Article | Go to Website
COG #7: global fixie culture
October 22, 2009 - This issue of the large-format bike culture magazine rocks all aspects of the scene, as always. Urban bike photography simply doesn't get any better -- events, people, background, travel-exotica, equipment, art -- the works. It's big and dynamic at COG. They're really good about merging the whole world of urban bike action...  > Read Article | Go to Website
The Michihoots CX Scene: Rockin' Cyclocross!
October 20, 2009 - Cyclocross is taking off everywhere. Michigan is no exception. What it is is fun plus bike racing. The two don't always go together. CX makes it happen. My take on things is that some casual cyclists who mostly do their mellow riding in the summer -- that is, not in the winter to get ready for summer -- finally get into decent...  > Read Article | Go to Website
A Pannier that Converts to a Backpack
October 10, 2009 - Brule Mountain is a little company that makes a pannier that converts into a backpack. They make them in various sizes and offer a bunch of accessories for them as well. (It's possibly the most rustic website still out there, in every sense. Whew! But a neat product!)  > Read Article | Go to Website
36-inch Wheel Monster Bike
October 10, 2009 - Here's a pic of an awesome bike. It's a great pic. It just glows. The faded-aperture framing helps this effect. It doesn't look like an improved bike in terms of practicality, but it does look proud. And it seems like it would work fine. So we're golden. All bikes are on parade, after all. Those 36-inch wheels look like ...  > Read Article
Classic Steel Bikes: old is new again
October 06, 2009 - I see that several major bike makers are offering vintage or classic style bikes again. Steel is real, man! Lugs aren't bugs! These big makers must've noticed how so many folks are enjoying riding and just plain looking at their once-cast-off classic bikes. A steel bike with supple forks and compliant frame-tubing ju...  > Read Article
A Tale of Two, no THREE, Gofast Bikes: Weeny vs. Classic vs. Thrift-shop
October 02, 2009 - Until last week I'd never ridden a carbon race bike. I'd wanted to, for years, to see what the fuss was about. So my friend Nick loaned me his super Giant TCR with Dura-Ace to give the experience a try. I did a few rides with it, including one fast race-group ride. Basically, the obvious happened. I'm a bit overweight a...  > Read Article
Weight Weenies, Ahoy!
October 02, 2009 - Every now and then a biker can be afflicted with interest in lightness in bikes. It really makes no sense, but it happens. It's a marvel. If only to gawk at what people have done to build up a lightweight bike. And, then, sometimes, a biker will fancy reducing the weight of his/her OWN bike, for some crazy reason. ...  > Read Article
A Forum for Insider Bike Info
October 02, 2009 - http://Bikeforums.net is a great resource for everything bike. It's huge. But if you're looking for info that's a bit more refined and dialed-in, try the Serotta Forum. It's big and diverse, too, but it seems a bit more famous for thorough-going, well-informed, long-time experience bike savvy. It has the retro and vintage app...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Svein Tuft: Out of the Backwoods, into the Top Ranks
October 02, 2009 - Here's an early report about a Canadian bike racer who came out of nowhere to become a top contender. There's more google-news out there now about him. It's rare these days to find such a story. Svein Tuft learned to love biking by way of just setting out and going on bike adventures. When he was 18 he rigged up a bike trailer...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Men of Steel Racing: Steel Roadbike Action!
October 02, 2009 - You think the days of steel are over? That carbon is the new thing? (Or ti, or aluminium.) Well, it might not be so. Today you can readily get a steel bike that weighs 16 lbs. It looks like a steel frame weighs about a pound more than carbon. So just build yerself a 15-lb carbon bike and swap in your steel frame and, wa-la. : ...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Massive Bike Commuter Blog/Resource
October 02, 2009 - Here's a multi-featured blog dedicated to Bike Commuting. It's got info, articles, resources, feedback and community action galore. Upload a pic of your rig! Rockin'! http://www.bikecommuters.com/2008/09/28/commuter-profile-abhishek-shek-mukherjee/ (Hey, those bags look familiar!)  > Read Article | Go to Website
Mike's Bikes: great indie shop in L.A.
October 02, 2009 - If you're in L.A., check out Mike's bike shop. "Steel is real" here. They revive salvage bikes, restore vintage, get you running right in a straight-up way. It's not an online shop, it's a real hang-out. So go hand out. Also big on skate.  > Read Article | Go to Website
Wood-Frame Race Bike? Wood-Rim Wheels?
October 02, 2009 - OK, we've known that wooden recumbents have been around for years. It's a dandy material to work with. And we've seen the Calfee bamboo carbon-wrap-lugged bikes. Renovo takes it further. They say they can give you a 18-lb wonder bike in one of their wood frames. And that they can custom tailor the kind of stiffness you want...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Joe Kid on a Stingray": Documentary on BMX Heritage
October 02, 2009 - Ya gotta love a movie feauring Stingrays. How many movies out there do so? We need more. This one only uses the Stinray as a launchpad. It's really about the history of BMX. Now, I'm personally not so big on BMX per se, but I've had some fun doing it -- the last time was when I was 30, I think. And I taco'ed a wheel. Arena...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Insider Bike Blogs: they can write! ...and sass!
October 01, 2009 - [Updated from 5/09] Sassy, clever writing seems to be a hallmark of roadbike blogs. There are quite a few pretty good ones out there, even if some overdo the snarky side. Many bike blogs, though, are so advocacy- and issues-oriented that their dryness sends me running. Here are a few standouts... Bobke Strut...  > Read Article
The "Rough Riders" Club & Blog
October 01, 2009 - Chris Kostman is a busy guy. He organizes several diverse extreme enduro events in the Nor Cal region, mostly long distance bike rides. And he has this "all rounder" thing going called the Rough Riders. Sounds like fun! "Any bike, anywhere!" is their motto. They get together for fun romps in diverse terrain. There ya go!  > Read Article | Go to Website
Japanese Bike Mags: Diversity Galore!
September 22, 2009 - When we visited San Francisco this summer we checked out Little Tokyo. We all like Japanese pop culture stuff...and food...in our family. I've long been attracted to the Japanese bike scene and their mags have been my access point, but they've been few and far between. And, of course, all I get are the pictures. But since t...  > Read Article
Bicycle Times #3: "Ramble" Touring, & Bike Lights Compared
September 21, 2009 - BT is the mag for everyday allround cycling. It covers everything that regular might do on a bike. No pigeonholes here. Well, no pro anything because...are you a pro? Issue #3 has a huge, handy comparison of a bunch of popular bike lights; an interview with allround integrated bike guru Jan Heine (publisher of Bicycle Quart...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Bicycle Dreams": the first movie about RAAM
September 21, 2009 - Stephen Auerbach is a Hollywood director who seems to have busted-loose and is now indie. He made big stuff, now he's going more up close and personal. A few years ago he made a popular TV documentary on the Race Across America nonstop transcontinental bike race, getting NBC's highest ratings ever for a bike event. With thi...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Momentum" #41: Philly Luv & Rockin' Inner Tubes
September 21, 2009 - How do they jam so much into each issue? By including lots of small info-hit-bits! There's also always several reports with more meat on 'em. "Momentum" always has a great mix of citybike culture -- emphasis on CITY. Featured Articles Philadelphia – City of Bikerly Love This city is positively bursting with bi...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Momentum #40: Montreal & DIY Projects Galore
September 21, 2009 - This issue of "MO" goes hard for Montreal...and about a dozen DIY projects. Plus jillions of everything else citybike-culture related... Featured Articles Weaving their Way Out of Modern Mass Consumption * Handmade is hot - and through the internet and local markets, crafters are connecting with each other and...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Bicycle Quarterly" Summer '09: Huge Jack Taylor family interview!
September 21, 2009 - "BQ" magazine is black'n'white, personable in a scholarly way, and always jammed full of relevant bike lore and this huge issue is no different. This one is the biggest issue yet, at 76 pages. (I count the covers because it's all good at "BQ.") This issue features a huge 26-page exclusive interview with the three living Jack...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Urban Velo" #14: Polo, Crits, Tweed...and More
September 21, 2009 - "UV" covers the whole gamut of urban bike action -- art, sport, politics, erranding, fashion. They also run a good range of punchy versus in-depth reports. I always like a mag that includes some meat in with its taters. "UV" is a full-color, small-format mag available in a free online PDF and in print. Print is good. Its web...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"COG" #6: Full-on Fixie Glory
September 21, 2009 - "COG" is the art and outreach mothership of the bike culture scene, anchored to a global bedrock of fixie hipsterism. Yes, you can count on the hipsters. And, yes, they are linchpins. For bike art, anyway. Which means they're never the same. Which is a good thing. They keep pushing, exploring, finding new stuff. Which, since th...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Comic Essay Slays Cyclo-Posers...
August 26, 2009 - British writer tears into the trendy forces tearing up cycling. He votes for the bike as the best thing and the bike helmet as the worst. Why? Read on! It's rich!  > Read Article | Go to Website
Tour Divide Rocks!
July 29, 2009 - [This is my first report, from 7/2008. Scroll down for updates.] Ever since the start of the Great Divide Race there's been a fascination with the WHOLE of the Divide. The GDR goes 2500 miles from the north US border to the south US border. But the Divide respects no borders. So from the beginning some GDR racers have started...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Here's Your Live Streaming TdF!
July 10, 2009 - For everyone who's a bit slow on the uptake, like me, you don't have to settle for Live Text and the Refresh button at cyclingnews.com if you don't have Versus TV. Cyclingfans.com sets you up with whatever sites are offering live streaming video/audio at the moment. That's the way to go! Ah, but you have to open two windows......  > Read Article | Go to Website
Team OYB meets the Race Leader of the Tour Divide!
June 27, 2009 - Hey, is everyone following the Tour Divide action? ... http:// tourdivide.org The TD is a self-supported indie-style non-stop mt-bike race down the whole length of the Continental Divide, 2745 miles from Canada to Mexico. It takes the leaders about 18 days. Racers are tracked by transponder and action is reported on the webs...  > Read Article
Bike Canoe Trailer: It's a Cinch!
May 31, 2009 - I've long wanted to create a simple trailer for towing a canoe behind a bike. A lot of times when I'm biking and I come across some tasty water I suddenly want to get paddling---especially when the waterway is going my way or when it's a shorter way to go my way. To me, the two joys fit together--the glide of a bike and the gl...  > Read Article
Vintage Road Event Near Detroit, July 11-12
May 27, 2009 - Come to the Bloomer Park International Velodrome in Rochester Hills, MI, this July 11 & 12 for the 1st Annual Americane' Vintage Track & Road Bike Festival. Check out: Two days of vintage track and road bike fun surrounded by national level pro track racing (NAS-TRACK International 3 Day). A quick summary of events: Vin...  > Read Article | Go to Website
"Bicycle Times": Issue #2 Good for Everyday Riders
May 27, 2009 - Issue #2 of "Bicycle Times" just came in. It's a new project that's geared to everyday riding, courtesy of the folks at "Dirt Rag." "BT" is about errands, commuting, family action and just plain fun. Nothing too nichified or specialized or intense or high end. Just ride! This here blurb has to be dualistic as their website is u...  > Read Article | Go to Website
The Lake Pepin 3-Speed Tour: High Adventure Indeed
May 21, 2009 - Here's a report from an early-May classic bike tour in Minnesota. It's 85 miles over 2 days with a 100-rider limit. The official homepage: http://www.3speedtour.com. More pics: http://imageevent.com/abce/20093st Here's the Intro from their Homepage... This is, without question, the most memorable cycling event you'll fin...  > Read Article
"Embrocation": new bike culture journal
May 05, 2009 - I went to the NAHBS show for the first time this winter. That's the national handbuilt bike show. Around town and the venue I kept noticing these stickers, fliers and posters with an espresso pot and an "e." One night there was a Secret Party at a nearby hotel bar sponsored by Rapha and...images of an espresso pot. A week after t...  > Read Article
"Smart Move": art book of far-out bikes
May 05, 2009 - I love bike design and high-rez photography of sweet bikes. A new book from Austria called "Smart Move" lays out a splendid display of both. A Viennese architect decided to become a bike collector not too long ago...and started buying. He doesn't fancy himself a bike buff---instead, he loves the wild range of design as expressed i...  > Read Article
We Meet a Family Crossing USA on Tandems
May 03, 2009 - UPDATE 5/30: Lucy and I met up with the tandem family as they rode past north of Lansing. We rode our own sweet old red Nashbar tandem with them a few miles before they made camp. Then Martha and Henry drove up with dinner vittles, including wild turkey soup. The Family had been riding into headwinds the past couple days. The ...  > Read Article
Velocio's Contemplative Cyclotouring
May 03, 2009 - Paul de Vivie was a leader in bike culture and technology. Known as "Velocio," he promoted bike touring, published the first bike touring magazine and first conceived of deraillers (even though Desgrange, the boss of racing, said they were unneeded). What a guy! He was also the first importer and bike designer in France. The derai...  > Read Article
2nd Annual Waterloo Ramble: coming up!
May 01, 2009 - The Waterloo, MI, area is great for a mixed-surface tour. It's a wonderful nature area that's very light on cars and has a lot of very scenic, small dirt roads. In the next couple weeks I plan to do a 3-hour 30-mile ride with picnic. I take it at a fair clip but with a varied pace. Anyone is welcome to join in! I might do...  > Read Article
Bike Heritage: Are "Old" Books Relevant?
April 22, 2009 - I always figure a book is new (to me) if I haven't seen it before. When I fell in love with cycling, I looked for all the best books. In the late 80's there weren't many good bike culture books being published, although the VeloNews people were starting to do good work on the Euro-biography/lore front. As a (relative) youngs...  > Read Article
More Alt.Trans: WorkScoot, BikeTruck, MopedTruck
April 03, 2009 - Alt.trans never quits. It offers such a rainbow of options! It is NOT a monochrome car/truck world out there. It's every which way but loose! There's a smallscale transit solution for every smallscale transit need, I bet. Dutch Bikes is a new shop with stores in Chicago and Seattle selling hardcore Dutch-style workbike...  > Read Article
1st Barry Roubaix: a Special Report
March 29, 2009 - [JP NOTE:The "Barry Roubaix" was a mixed-surface, dirt/paved/trail bike race held for the first time last Saturday. 32 miles for the normal crazies. 62 miles for the crazy-crazies. In western Michihoots. I put up a link to it elsewhere. It's just the kind of event to test versatile skills and a versatile bike. A frien...  > Read Article
Bicycle Quarterly: Amazing "Old plus New" Cyclotouring Issue!
March 28, 2009 - Man, what a whopper of an issue! It's so RICH with cycling concepts and lore that you'll need more than a steak knife and more than lots of time. You need to be ready for it, to clear your head. OK, it's hard to say what you'll need. This issue is even a bit intimidating. I'm waiting for enough spare time not only to read and un...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Best "Big Three" Southern-Michigan Bike Route?
March 25, 2009 - I'm wondering what's the best southern Michigan 50-100 mile route that includes the best roads (dirt, paved or trails), best nature/landscape, best several culture/food stops? I think we're pretty well set for pleasant roads. But they're not THAT nice. And there's not much to look at besides empty countryside at best. Fields, wo...  > Read Article
A Multimodal Mentality...
March 25, 2009 - I'm personally often trying to separate my car-life from the rest of my transit life. How to avoid using the car is a challenge that I'm into. But some of the time that's a wrong way to look at things. In many cases a motor-vehicle plus other type of transit is a totally righteous and worthy combination "multimodal" unit. As I ...  > Read Article
Barry-Roubaix, Baby! Dirt Road Bikin'...
March 23, 2009 - [UPDATE: This one is coming up! Next weekend! BUMP from 2/21/09.] There's a new organizer in town. Well, new to me. Rick Plite is going great guns. He now has 3 events going full steam on the west side of the state. ...The KissCross cyclocross series; the Lumberjack 100 mtbike race (which is sold out); and the new Barry-Roubaix...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Momentum: #38, March/Apr '09
March 19, 2009 - You know that a mag is on the right track when ya love the ads. Don't let any media fool ya: the ads are editorial. Who's backing it? --That's always a question to ask. In "Momentum" we see a rainbow of everyday bike stuff ads. Super! Fresh! Creative! ...Can't beat it. (Carbon exotica...huh? Big air...huh?) This mag is ju...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Bicycle Times: hot new FIRST issue!
March 17, 2009 - There's a new bike mag on the scene: "Bicycle Times." Subhead: "Your Everyday Cycling Adventure" It's from the folks at Dirt Rag. They'd been feeling the temptation to stretch into the whole big world of bikes. We've been seeing more racks and fenders on bikes in DR. Now that world has a home. DR can get back to the trails. T...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Urban Velo: Jan. '09, #11
March 17, 2009 - This citybike mag has a full-service website offering the free contents of all their issues online via your browser or a PDF. The sweet highlight contents of the January 2009 issue include: *Ghost Bikes - Remembering our Fallen Friends, *How to Tie & Solder Spokes, *I Love Riding in the City (about a dozen pics and ...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Handmade Bike Show!
March 05, 2009 - I recently attended my first NAHBS. That's: North American Handmade Bicycle Show. Fifth annual. Indianapolis. Feb. 26-28. See: http://handmadebicycleshow.com This is the world of bikes and bike stuff that the people in the booths actually make with their own hands. It's small-world, owner-operated action. I was blown...  > Read Article
ZeroBike: Bike Touring with the Micro-Mini's!
March 02, 2009 - I can't believe I didn't have this link up here before. I've known about these guys for years. The mini-velo scene in Japan is rockin'. Here's one site that's a visual diary of a bunch of bike tours done on a wide variety of mini, folding and alternative bikes---mostly highly modified. Amazing! *SIX*-inch wheels CAN work on the ...  > Read Article | Go to Website
Fixie Hipster! --at the Roller Races
February 10, 2009 - My bro Tim and an old pal and I went to watch the Roller Race at the Blind Pig in Ann Arbor last night. Whattayaknow, Kurt signed us all up for the racing! As the "Three Potter Brothers." Too bad I got bumped to a later heat or we coulda been 3 oldtimers going head to head in front of the crowd of 100 black'n'tat clad bikers. ...  > Read Article
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