When In Tucson – November. 07, 2025
I had the pleasure of seeing my friend Courtney (on the left), from Pittsburgh, this week in the shop! We met last year, during the Komoot Women’s Rally. She flew to Tucson on her way to New Mexico with Kate (center), for the annual Dangerbird ride featuring the Monumental Loop. Happy riding, Courtney and friends!
Friends From Far Places – October. 30, 2025
Last November, I had the honor of being chosen to participate in the women’s Komoot rally, right here in southern Arizona.
I met amazing women from all over the world and formed lifelong bonds seeded in cycling and community. One of the women I rode with was Eve, from the UK. We had a particularly magical day riding Box Canyon together. On Monday, almost a year later, I was delighted to welcome her friends to the shop after they rode the same route, experiencing all the beauty the Sky Islands has to offer. Cheers to friends near and far!
Saying Goodbye Is Hard To Do – October. 24, 2025
This weekend, I had to say an unexpected goodbye to my best friend of over 12 years. She was my closest confidant and constant companion through the best and worst of times.
From now on, I’ll carry her with me on all the adventures she never got the chance to take. She will live on in my memories and in my heart.
Rest in peace, my sweetest girl. My Bone Machine.
They Call It Mellow Yellow – October. 18, 2025
Recently I went for it and purchased a pair of Gravelking X1s, in Honey Butter. The new tread is faster and more grippy; perfect for ripping around on everything from Redington to downtown. Plus, they make my bike look super cute! Shout out to Ignacio for the amazing mural in Armory Park!
Saguaro Birthday Rides Past & Present – September. 28, 2025
In preparation for my birthday on Friday, I’ve been looking back at some of the things I’ve done in the past. This was 2 years ago, while riding through Saguaro National Park East. Here’s hoping for another birthday ride spent amongst the Saguaros!
The Ghost of Birthdays Past – September. 22, 2025
With the anticipation of the beginner bike packing trip to Catalina State Park on the horizon, I thought I’d share this picture of me on my first bike packing trip to Catalina State Park back in 2022!
While I didn’t know it at the time, we planned our trip the same weekend as Campfire and ended up crossing paths on several occasions. While my bike and setup have changed quite a bit, my love for adventure has remained the same. For those of you who have already signed up: we can’t wait to see you! For those of you haven’t signed up: what are you waiting for!?
Hawk It Up To Luck – September. 16, 2025
On Tuesday morning, we were graced by a visit from a Cooper’s Hawk. Enjoying its delicious, bloody and seemingly sinewy breakfast, it let us get surprisingly close to check it out. After a few minutes, it got tired of our curiosity and flew away. I never get tired of seeing the wildlife in Tucson.
Just a Small Tidbat – September. 10, 2025
While attempting to do laundry a few nights ago, I found myself on the porch with a bat. Johnny was quick to close the door, so the bat didn’t fly inside. This poor bat had found itself unable to immediately fly away because of our porch curtains.
After a few minutes of crouching down in the corner, trying to avoid said bat, it finally got out and I took off inside. Here, you can see Johnny observing from the back door and a blip of the bat near the curtains. Those little bats sure are fast!
Wheelie Tired – September. 04, 2025
I’ve only ridden a century once before, so it felt fitting to give it another go this past Friday. Since I’d recently dusted off my road bike, I wanted to push myself not just with mileage, but also with speed and efficiency. Mission accomplished—and afterward, a well-earned veg-out session at home. If you’ve been toying with the idea of tackling something challenging, here’s your sign: go for it!
Have You Ever Wondered… – August. 28, 2025
Where does my package come from before it gets to me? How many bikes do they build, box and ship in a day? Well, here’s a small look into our shop and our shipping area! After our long weekend we came in to A LOT of orders. This picture was only halfway through the day, so by 5pm we shipped an additional 2 bikes and another handful of other orders! Thanks for keeping us busy ya’ll! We love you!
Falling In Love Is Easy To Do – August. 22, 2025
For the past couple of weeks, Toby has had the pleasure of dog sitting JoJo. He’s a staple in the shop and always the first one to greet anyone coming in! With his time with us coming to an end soon (Nick, his owner is coming back to town) it has become apparent just how much JoJo loves Toby. Whether it’s following Toby when he leaves for a test ride or sitting by his bench, JoJo has become Toby’s shadow. Here’s a pic of the lovebirds during a short break on Tuesday.
Right Back To It – August. 16, 2025
Recently, my friend Jon has been training for Tour de Tucson, and invited us to join him for a long ride. This was perfect timing, as Johnny had just rebuilt/built both our road bikes (All City Zig Zag and Landshark Roadshark). While I generally prefer the sexy pace of adventure biking, I was stoked to go fast. On Sunday we rode 55 miles and it felt great! We finished at the Mercado for coffee and donuts, afterwards!
Learning the Language – August. 11, 2025
While discussing a bike packing trip in Northern California, Toby introduced me to Boontling. I learned Boontling was a type of jargon spoken by the people of Boonville, CA. It’s a combination of English, Scottish Gaelic, Irish and some Spanish. According to Wikipedia, as of 2015, there are less than 100 people who can still speak the language. I went down the rabbit hole on wiki and found a few words that made me laugh: back-dated chuck,hedge,cow skully and horn of zeese. I won’t tell you what they mean, so you’ll have to look them up yourselves! Happy learning!
Cat Got Your Box – August. 04, 2025
Like most cats, our cat Bone Machine loves a good box. So, it should come as no surprise to see her inside a box in our kitchen. Here is she is in her natural element!
Chain Reaction: Crossing the Divide with Grit and Grace – July. 28, 2025
On Friday, my friend Cora—whom I met during the AZ Komoot Women’s Rally last November—conquered one of her greatest accomplishment: completing the Tour Divide for the second time.
When we first met, we were strangers. But by the end of the week, it felt like we all knew each other on a much deeper level. Every day, we shared the same experiences—of the ride we were on and the challenges we faced together.
On our final night, the majority of the group (about 50 women) gathered around the campfire to share stories from the week, the inspiration that brought us there, and what we hoped to carry forward. Cora’s story was especially touching. She had been working at her winery (Pleb Urban Winery) in North Carolina when floods came and took nearly everything she had worked so hard for.
But most importantly, the water didn’t take her drive to ride—and her spirit remained unbroken. Tears flowed and hugs were shared all around. Inspired by each other, we had finished one helluva ride together.
Fast forward to June 13th, when Cora started her journey from Banff, Alberta, Canada, to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. I followed her dot as she made her way from north to south, staying updated with photos and the occasional Strava commentary. She was doing it.
Seeing her complete the Divide on Friday filled me with so much excitement—to hear about her experiences and, hopefully one day, share my own stories from the route.
She is truly an inspiration to all women who want to conquer something big but feel held back by whatever—or whoever—seems to stand in their way.
Congratulations, Cora!!! We’re all so proud of you.
A-Mountain Magic – July. 21, 2025
Any Tucsonan knows, the views from A-Mountain are rewarding, especially by bike. On Friday before work, we rode up A-Mountain and enjoyed minimal traffic and lots of amazing views before riding down and enjoying Barista del Barrio!
Thorny Weather – July. 14, 2025
This past week, I brought home a new pair of Teravail Cannonball tires for Johnny’s Gorilla Monsoon. Within the first two miles of putting them on, WHAM, thorn. Here in AZ when you catch a thorn, it can be anywhere from the size of your fingernail to the size of your hand! Luckily, this one was somewhere in between. It’s also worth mentioning that fresh sealant (“Super Gay Sealant” courtesy of Astral Agency) had been added, before the ride as well.
While this was a major inconvenience, it was a great reminder that maintaining the sealant in your tires or keeping a spare tube on hand, should always be somewhere in the front of your mind. Within a few seconds of pulling the thorn, the hole sealed and we were on our way! Thanks to the desert for a truly humbling experience. Photo for reference!
Exploring Barrio Viejo – July. 07, 2025
The past month or so, I have been awaking my mostly reluctantly family pre-dawn on Wednesdays to go up Tumamoc Hill (Cemamagi Du’ag), and now with the ushering of all-time daily and monthly high temps this week, every time we finish there is a new resolve to get up a little bit earlier next time to avoid the onslaught of solar heat by 7am. This is a picture from last week’s foray, and you can see Tucson beginning to swelter at 6:30.
Cheers to early morning strolls!