For our summer roundup, we’re featuring a photo collection of wheelie crews carving up New York City, along with a local’s guide to Tucson’s crested saguaros, a few gear highlights, and some offbeat mentions of tasty Indian food and Amsterdam politics. Enjoy!
Wheelies all over town
Bikepacking and bike touring are definitely the focus for us here in the shop and online, but I’d imagine most of us came to those styles from other forms of riding. I recently read a synopsis of Brian Finke’s new book titled “Bike Life,” a photo collection of riders in New York City that began in the pandemic lull of 2020, and it had me thinking about my own story with bikes and how it’s progressed since childhood.
Images by Brian Finke
I grew up romping around 10 acres on my little banana seat-clad BMX bike, but once I grew into sports, I didn’t get on a bike again until college – right around the time fixed gear bikes and the internet combined to open up a whole new world for me. I stripped down and painted an old Peugeot road bike, turned it into a fixie (no brakes), and somehow escaped my college years without a broken bone.
From there, another hiatus was broken by Cass Gilbert’s excellent While out Riding blog, which led to my first bike tour in Central America, and from there, I try to get out on at least one decent tour every year.
“Bike Life” isn’t so much about origin stories, but the images have an innocence and timelessness to them that had me feeling reminiscent. I’d imagine that biking in New York City could feel restrictive at times, but Finke does a wonderful job of showcasing the freedom to be had even when riding within the constraints of the city.
Heads-up: you should be able to read the article on the first click without a paywall, but if you run into trouble, try an incognito window.
More news!
- Le Tour de Frankie: Mexican bikepacker Poli Berber recaps her third run at “El Infierno del Sur,” Mexico’s first bikepacking race. Now in its fourth year, LTDF drops riders from the heights of Mexico City to the sweltering coast of Puerto Escondido.
- Spencer’s Crested Saguaro Guide: Check out Spencer’s guide to the many crested saguaros that dot Tucson Mountain Park for a scavenger hunt lap of the trails just west of town.
- Tailfin’s best product release video?: If you were ever on the fence about buying into the Tailfin ecosystem, this video might be reason enough to give it a try.
- Seldom Seen Drop: Mentioned in previous roundups, Seldom Seen recently expanded their offerings in a drop that includes camp chopsticks, their take on an anything strap, and a handful of really nice looking bags (bike and non-bike specific).
- Rubberlover Tire Aggregator: Akin to the in-depth geo comparison tool Bike Insights, Rubberlover does the same for tires, from 12” all the way up to the now-trendy 32” options.
- Truck Stop Indian: This is a bit out of left field, but for anyone headed east along I-10 for summer travels, the same phenomena can be found in Bowie, Arizona at Punjabi Dhaba and San Simon, Arizona at 9Acre Indian Restaurant. The reviews are certainly mixed, but it’s always hit the spot for me.
- Amsterdam is rad!: If you needed another example of just how far ahead the bicycle-friendly capital truly is, the government recently banned advertising iaround meat and fossil fuels in a move towards their 2050 carbon neutral goals.
Watch out for those danger noodles!
