Welcome to the occasional OYB newsletter! You’re getting this because you emailed me, and “OYB” is my website! My plan is that every now’n’then I’ll share an e-newsletter of a few short, punchy, seasonal items. (If you want to unsub, click here: “remove”. No hard feelings, I hope!)
What is OYB? It’s a celebration of modern folkways. Bikes, boats, skis, and a whole lot more, in a huge website of stories — plus a shop of hard-to-find cool stuff.
Why OYB? Indie culture has lots of specialty media but no other round-up of DIY action. Yet many people do enjoy a lot of cross-over. OYB is for them.
Thanks! —Jeff Potter, reporter / proprietor / host
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Start a “Bike Party” in Your Town!
Bike parties are taking US cities by storm and inspiring both bike culture and urban culture. We explore all over the city. We ride at night, in the warm rain, do picnics. What’s more, demographics that are underserved in regular bike scenes are finding a casual place to bloom in bike parties. …Families, twenty-somethings, women, minorities, LGBT. And bikes that aren’t seen in other organized rides have a home: cruisers, citybikes, ratbikes, tallbikes, folders, cheapbikes, vintage bikes. When you see those people and those bikes on a ride that also includes the car-drivers and peds and people on porches in on the fun you know you’re in for a treat! “Seriousness” can put the hurt on the relevance of activity to society and normalcy — it’s been over-specializing bike culture for a long time. Now’s the time to lively up! [More about Bike Parties] |
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Tour Divide: “Blue Dot Fever” Strikes! THEY’RE OUT THERE! …TOUR DIVIDE, the world’s biggest bike race! Done in the spirit of the best in racing. Self-supported, no prizes, no fees, handshake rules. 2700 miles down the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico. Follow the blue dots of the tracking locators, and the forum reports, from 1.5 wks to a month. 200+ miles a day, dirt and trail! A new record was just set at 14.5 days (!), but the first woman hasn’t finished — she might get 6th overall! It ain’t over til it’s over! Once an old slow fixie rider nicknamed “Mountain Turtle” found himself in 2nd place only a couple days from the finish — talk about tortoise and hare! Another time a teenage girl did it on a DIY dumpster fixie road bike. A guy once refused to re-route around snowed-in passes and walked his bike up, adding weeks but gaining superhero Lanterne Rouge status. Last year, a hippie nicknamed “Cjell $,” pictured left, wore one set of clothes, no bike shorts, and had a great party race, with a fast time, on a SS. Once our family was on a road trip and I remembered it was race time and we were in the region. I whipped off the road, checked the web, and about passed out: Matthew, the leader, was crossing our highway in an hour! Let’s find him! We had such a nice coffee with him. Our kids were in awe. [Click for TD 2015 Reporting on Bikepacking.net] |
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Canoe Poling, Standup & Boatocross
Here are 3 wonderful canoe innovations — you, too, can be an early adopter! OK, SUP boards and long paddles are all the rage. They’re a blast, but if it’s not windy or wavy, you don’t need a board, use a canoe! (It’s nicest with a solo canoe.) What’s more, anywhere the water is shallow, grab a pole! A 12-footer lets you enjoy cruising the shallows like never before. It’s great practice for SUP, too. (I sell poles.) But that’s not all! Boatocross is my new sport that combines paddling and/or poling with manuevering around obstacles! Lots of twisty narrow rivers have logjams here in mid-Michigan. We don’t have whitewater to play in, but we have logs. So, make lemonade! Work your skills! Learn to connect the dots through obstacles at full speed — lean that hull through that narrow slot! Learn to seamlessly dismount, fling your boat , and remount on the fly, without losing flow. Teeter-totter your boat over low logs. It’s as fun as cyclocross! [More about Fresh Canoe Fun] |
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Fast, Jiffy Bike-Canoe Trailer
Bikes and canoes are a natural pair. But it can be kinda hard using them together without a car. Well, I figured out a simple way. Now, there are several nice canoe bike trailers and kits available online, but I wanted to really KISS. A kiddy trailer, pole, a strap and 2 bungies are all ya need! We have an old Burley kiddy trailer. The fabric part makes a great cradle for the stern of a canoe. I just strapped the yoke of the trailer up against the bottom of the hull. Then I wedged a pole under a couple thwarts so it would stick out the front a few feet. I bungied the pole to a thwart so it wouldn’t slide out. Then I bungied the pole to my bike seatpost. Voila’! The pole pivots fine. Friction holds it good. If I use my folding bike I take the bike in the boat then bike the whole rig back or bike back to fetch a vehicle. Many kiddy trailers today are folding so you can put the trailer in the boat, too. Light solo canoes work best and are easiest to pull farther. [More about Jiffy Canoe Trailer] |
The OYB Lunchbox Pannier –Classy!
Dang, they’re sharp. I found these military-surplus cases and repurpose them just for you! I also have classier leather logo patches. I’ve sold hundreds of these globally. I’m down to my last dozen. Better hurry! I haven’t found any more inventory.
My first customer feedback: “One of the best pieces of design I’ve ever seen.” –Dr. E. Parker (Leicester, UK)
Smallish at 4″ x 8.5″ x 11″. I have clips to fit any rack (just tell me what you have).
Heavy light-green canvas with thick leather. At $59 each they’re the world’s cheapest leather’n’canvas pannier. For $15 more I’ll add clip-swivels and a shoulderstrap.
A Cheap Good Knife
Mora knives are world famous for being high quality yet cheap. They’re known in the US, too, but only in limited circles. Bushcrafters love them. But even that term indicates that they’re not an American thing, perhaps, since “bushcraft” is the term used by UK/Euro-oriented nations for “primitive skills.” We really don’t have a good term for these arts. “Bushcraft” is best, so let’s get with it. Anyway, Mora knives are made in Sweden of good steel with a classic Scandinavian “Scandi” edge-grind: wide and flat, easy to re-sharpen. This “Companion” model has a grippy handle and stainless blade. The sheath is actually almost as important as the knife. This one is rugged plastic with a distinct ‘click’ knife retention and a great pocket/belt clip and drainhole. Bright orange means you won’t lose or leave it. $20. [Link to Mora Knife at OYB eBay Store]
A Better Knife … for Hard Work
I used to whittle a lot of Osage Orange to create support sticks for the OYB 7-Way Bags that I fabricate. It’s beautiful yellow wood — the hardest and most difficult to work. I love it, but never got a remark about the sticks so now use dowels. I tested a wide variety of knives for this rugged whittling. It’s amazing how bad all the knives were — except for one! Finding the Ahti Metsa (“forest”) was an “Ah ha!” experience. It’s a small-shop forged knife from Finland. Scandi blades are cool and hard to find in the US so I’ve actually started retailing a dozen varieties, but the Metsa is my fave for hard work. Indeed, real craft whittlers also use barrel-shaped handles. But this one has a ‘hook’ on the end that retains the knife with low hand effort on draw strokes. The handle size is perfect for my Med.-Lg hand. Great price for a craft-made knife. $50. [Link to Ahti Metsa at OYB eBay Store]
Get Your Hard-to-Find Outdoor Books at the OYB eBay Store
I keep the nation’s only Outdoor Culture bookstore open on eBay. I have a couple hundred titles listed in the basic OYB range of topics. I emphasize the “must reads” in each area. These books are key backgrounders, illuminating why and how we got to where we are, outdoors-wise. I also present the stand-out how-to books. Nowadays the great old titles are neglected. (Guides and memoirs are about the only thing the system can reliably churn out.) The best titles stay alive by word-of-mouth, if they’re lucky. I’m doing my part. I also list beautiful first editions as I find them. [Link to the OYB eBay Store]
(If you know someone who’d like this e-letter, please send their email to me, jeff@outyourbackdoor.com. If you don’t want these emails, click here: “remove” to send me an unsub email and I’ll do it, no worries. And my apologies for any bother.)
