Happy Spring! After a shockingly warm few weekends in March, Southern Arizona has been enjoying some truly nice Spring weather. Hopefully the same for you, wherever you’re reading. Read on below for the stories and gear that caught our eye over the last couple of months, starting with a collection of short videos from French filmmaker Alexandre Valentino. Enjoy!
Summer Mixtape Fanclub
A few Saturdays ago I was having an easy evening on the couch after dinner, looking for some entertainment on YouTube. Travel documentary is usually my go-to, but most of it wasn’t doing it for me that evening. Everything looked too epic, attention-grabbing, and overly emphasized. “Solo bikepacking in Colombia for 3 months!” That sorta thing.
Close to giving up, I finally came across a grainy thumbnail of a video titled “Sandwich Sacoche.” The name caught my eye, and at only 3 minutes long, it felt like an interesting choice. What ensued was a simply shot video of friends riding bikes, presumably in France from what I could tell, with little stops here and there to hit a jump, eat a sandwich, and just motor around on a sunny day. It felt happy, easy, and evoked the kind of simple joy that I remember from when I first got into bikes again in college.
When I reached out to Alexandre about featuring his videos, I had no idea I was getting in touch with a bit of a legend in the European BMX scene. For anyone who grew up riding BMX or skating, the Summer Mixtape Fanclub videos are going to make you feel right at home, as the style is heavily influenced by his time as a pro rider, filmmaker, and now manager of the Vans EMEA BMX Team. Skidding dirt corners on drop-bar ATBs, fish eye lenses, good music throughout, and just an easy watch that makes you want to get out there and ride for the pure joy of it.
Most of the videos are shot in Provence in southern France, or further north in Alsace, home to the “Elsass Gravel Team” featured in a few videos. Scrolling through the dozen or so short films, you’ll see a strong connection to the Twin Cities’ Genosack crew and their style of riding, a heavy influence for Alexandre. Bikepacking and bikecamping has become more of a focus for him as of late, and I always enjoy seeing what that looks like in other parts of the world, including this video of a family trip to the French coast.
Overall, the Mixtape is a fun, comforting place to spend a few minutes of your day, and I highly suggest giving them a watch.
More news!
- Continued public lands threat: The Grand Staircase-Escalante is under threat from Utah Senator Mike Lee. The guy won’t stop, and we shouldn’t either. Hit the link to speak up!
- “I need the sky above my head:” Mentioned in previous roundups, the story of Sofiane Sehili’s Eurasia record attempt comes full circle in this short documentary.
- White Industries Ti Cranks: This is admittedly an exorbitant amount of money to spend on a part of the bike that likely doesn’t yield an equivalent return in functionality, but dang, they’re nice. See below for a nice balance to $1400 cranks.
- 10 Things Not to Buy: I sense a tension over at BIKEPACKING.COM with the world it inhabits and the editors’ growing aversion to consuming more and more bike stuff. I appreciate the sentiment, and the article is helpful for some introspection on what your own list would look like.
- IMBA Trail Towns: In their own words, “an IMBA Trail Town is a national recognition for communities that value trails and the people who ride them. These towns are leading with trails by modeling how robust investments in outdoor recreation create vibrant, connected communities with outdoor experiences in reach of every resident.” Arizona proudly represents the map twice with Flagstaff and Prescott.
- Ornot Cargo Bibs: My go-to bib when I’m wearing one. Incredibly comfy, repair service available, and the women’s version has a drop-tail.
- SAUER 2026 recap: For anyone who missed out this year and is already considering next year’s event (3/5/2027), here’s a shameless plug and event recap. Rocky Gingg, this year’s full course SAUER winner, also put together his thoughts on the Sanitas Cycles blog.
- La Vuelta a Hermosillo: Spencer Harding recaps the inaugural event, just a few hours south of Tucson, featuring a weekend of riding and connecting with folks throughout the Sonoran region. Keep your eyes peeled here for info on next year’s event.
- La Lom: Not bike-related per se, but this band is one of my favorites to listen to on the rare occasions I’ve got earbuds in on a ride. It’s all good, but here’s one to start with.
- Dispersed’s new Rack Bag: Designed to fit any number of rear racks, this new bag from Andrew and Katie Strempke has a nice tapered front end to clear your seat. This is one of the small annoyances I have with similar bags, so it’s nice to see an offering that addresses it.
Leaving you with a scene from one of the Mixtape’s rides, a stop in front of a used bookstore somewhere in France.
