Collecting oddball bikes

by William F. Larabell-Ross, age 18
Some people may call me a bike enthusiast or a bike freak but I prefer to refer to myself as a bike lover. Whether riding them, building them, fixing them or just cleaning them, I love my bikes. Most of my metal and rubber acquaintances are a little deformed or [...]

Getting paid to ride: the guided tour

by Tom Baldinger
In an almost mythical era in the past, I was youthful and svelte. I was tall, skinny and fast.
I relished hill climbs, hair-raising descents, epic treks. I acquired a reputation as a glutton for punishment and for leading my peers on unexpected bushwhacking episodes. I was a young man in a mountain biking [...]

Patagonian adventure

Biking from the “End of the Road” in South America
by Peter Marsh
The Spanish word “Patagonia” seems to resound in English with a strange and mythic ring to it and I’ve longed to visit the southern end of South American for as long as I can remember. My fascination began in a geography class when I [...]

Journey to the center of the world

by Peter Marsh
It’s been ten years since I turned 50 and started taking a winter biking break south of the border. Ten years later, I’m still game for more adventures in Mexico and points south, but “an unfortunate series of events” around my 60th birthday caused me to take an interesting detour in December. Almost [...]

Cafécletos: Bike activism south of the border

by Ellee Thalheimer
Shame, shame on me and my narcissism to assume that a bike culture—similar the one I’m so proud of in my Portland community—would not be found in Veracruz, Mexico. Like tortillas to an egg and bean lunch, the bicycle is an inseparable part of the day to day Mexican life. The bici is [...]

Waiting for Kenny Chesney

by Ellee Thalheimer
“I have to stop thinking about my crotch,” thought Joanie.
Touring by bike through the high desert during the summer instigated battle between chammie and flesh. Joanie hadn’t examined her body in a mirror for weeks. Full-length mirrors were not a camp ground amenity.
“And thank God,” thought Joanie.
She was sure that if she twisted [...]

A cool old bike comes back to life

by Jim Ayama
One of the reasons why Eugene is such a great place to live (one reason of many) is the fact that it’s a true bicycle town. Besides the sheer number of bikes on the street, more than any other city of comparable size, there is an amazing variety of two-wheelers, from humble [...]

Biking across the roof of Mexico

by Peter Marsh
It’s been ten years since I faced up to the reality of turning 50, and dreamed up the idea of climbing Mount Hood from sea level! Though I had no thought at the time that this would go any further, it led to “bikes and hikes” of many of the major peaks [...]

Flats: beyond the simple repair

by Ellee Thalheimer
“Flat on your back”
“Feeling deflated.”
“A flat affect.”
“I’m going to pump you up.”
“Pump up the jam.”
“Get pumped.”
The idea of being pumped up and the idea of deflation are commonly used for metaphorical description in the vernacular. What the hell am I talking about? Well, I’m not really sure, but as I led my [...]

BMX cruisers

by Tom Baldinger
BMX cruisers have a long and colored history. They have been around for almost as long as regular 20-inch wheel bikes. They have 24-inch wheels. The frames are also slightly larger than normal BMX frames, with more relaxed geometry. They are a great alternative to the smaller 20-inch standard for tall people, and [...]