A Milestone: Six Years Ago I Quit Drinking Alcohol – What I’ve Learned and How It Can Help You

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A Milestone: Six Years Ago I Quit Drinking Alcohol – What I’ve Learned and How It Can Help You

Five years ago, I penned a post about abstaining from alcohol for six months. Then, eighteen months later, I followed up with a two-year anniversary piece that outlined my perspective on putting down the bottle… for good.

It’s now been six years since I had any alcohol. In that time, I’ve witnessed more discussions about cycling’s alcohol problem, so I wanted to write again about this subject where I’ll offer guidance on transitioning out of alcohol dependency, non-alcoholic drinks I’ve found to be helpful, and resources you can use to help on this journey…

Introducing Curious Creatures: A Fresh Approach to Mountain Bike Apparel That Celebrates Individuality and Adventure

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Introducing Curious Creatures: A Fresh Approach to Mountain Bike Apparel That Celebrates Individuality and Adventure

Curious Creatures is a mountain bike apparel brand born out of Bozeman, Montana, and is founded on the principles of empowerment, exploration, and self-expression. Firmly committed to elevating industry benchmarks, the brand resonates through its emphasis on quality, sustainability, and unadulterated individual expression. And, they have just launched their first product line—take a closer look below and read on to learn more about the brand’s commitment to inclusion in cycling.

Reviewed: A Flight of North American-Made Pedals from Blackspire, North Shore Billet, Tectonic, Tenet, Wolf Tooth, and Yoshimura

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Reviewed: A Flight of North American-Made Pedals from Blackspire, North Shore Billet, Tectonic, Tenet, Wolf Tooth, and Yoshimura

Reviewing a group of high-end, North-American-made pedals is, perhaps, best compared to reviewing a group of gourmet cheeseburgers: They are all going to be delicious, and you’ll need a pretty distinguished pallet to pull a lot of the finer details out—is that a Wisconsin smoked cheddar or Vermont? Ok, maybe I’m getting a bit off the rails here with the comparison, but the reality is: Just like two people may have differing opinions on what makes the best burger, each pair of these pedals has its own slightly distinctive flavor that may satisfy one rider more than another, or, even the same rider on different trails, bikes, or conditions.

Continue reading for Ryan LaBar’s roundup of six North American-made flat pedals including Blackspire, North Shore Billet, Tectonic, Tenet, Wolf Tooth, and Yoshimura

Congratulations to Lachlan Morton for Completing the Tour Divide in 12 Days 12 Hours and 21 Minutes

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Congratulations to Lachlan Morton for Completing the Tour Divide in 12 Days 12 Hours and 21 Minutes

In the dark hours of Sunday September 10, 2023 Lachlan Morton reached the US/Mexico border in Antelope Wells, NM at 9:24pm. According to his sponsor E.F. Education-EasyPost’s recap on Instagram, his individual time trial (ITT) on the Tour Divide Route was about pushing himself in a sustainable way and during his 12day 12hr and 21min run down the divide, he stopped to rest for 12 hours out of every 48. While it is unlikely that his ride will be counted as the official record given the presence of a media crew, it should be noted that he went nearly a day-and-a-half faster than the late-great Mike Hall (13:22:51), with neither rider going over the now-notorious Koko Claims hike-a-bike section (Lachlan being forced to reroute due to wildfires in Canada).

The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between

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The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between

This is a continuation of Ryan Wilson’s Altai Traverse Reportage. Read part one here: The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside

In a remote corner of the Mongolian Altai, about 40 kilometers from the border with China, I set off toward a desolate valley from the small, windswept, and dusty village of Bulgan. My next resupply point, about 125km down the road, was, confusingly, another town named Bulgan. I never quite got the hang of the Mongolian naming schemes in my time there, as it was quite common to find a handful of towns and villages across the country with identical names on any given map, and sometimes each town had two or three names they might be referred to by depending on which map you’re looking it, which sometimes makes it tricky getting reliable information.

2023 Single Speed USA Event Recap: Kansas City Edition

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2023 Single Speed USA Event Recap: Kansas City Edition

You know those weekends whose arrival you count down for months, to clock out of work, load up your bike, road trip 1,200 miles, and then readily acquiesce to stunts that question your health insurance coverage? Welcome to Single Speed USA.

Two common ingredients create this one-of-a-kind recipe; bicycles with only one gear, and a guaranteed let-loose atmosphere. This year, Kansas City hosted the annual gathering and it was a surprise to no one that that the weekend proved to be for the books (if you could even remember it, that is).

Registration: optional. Length of course: unknown. Number plates or organized timing: none. Prizes: gold placard bricks. Trophies this year included: “DFL thanks for making us wait,” “Well that was both brave and stupid,” “Never Stood a Chance,” “First to finish? Well f*ck you!,” “Captain No Fun” and “The highlight of SSKC was the sewer I fell in.” This is where the fun begins.

Single or Dingle? A Wheels Manufacturing SOLO-XD Single Speed Conversion Kit Review

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Single or Dingle? A Wheels Manufacturing SOLO-XD Single Speed Conversion Kit Review

In our current climate of cycling innovation, where maximizing gear range and number of cogs is top priority for many, singlespeeders are often left out. Teased earlier this year at Sea Otter Classic and available for sale today, Wheels Manufacturing flips the script with the SOLO-XD Single Speed Conversion Kit, which offers a reliable solution for converting both XD and XDR driver-equipped hubs to carrying a single gear. Josh recently received a SOLO-XD kit and, below, outlines the installation process and a review after riding with a “dinglespeed” setup for a couple of weeks.

Probably Overkill But So Nice: Austere Manufacturing 1″ Pin Ladder Lock Review

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Probably Overkill But So Nice: Austere Manufacturing 1″ Pin Ladder Lock Review

We love the products Austere Manufacturing is producing in Northwest Washington state. Uriel Eisen’s clever designs have taken a critical look at items you can buy from hardware stores and injected real engineering into the design process, resulting in more robust, longer-lasting products that operate as well as they look.

We’ve been using the Cam straps for a while now on our bike tours and even in our 4×4 buildouts, but today, we’re checking out Uriel’s latest creation: a 1″ Pin Ladder Lock buckle (stainless pins $16.95 / ti pins $19.85). These are meant to replace the plastic ladder buckles found on your bags and packs that can break out in the backcountry.

John took delivery of some early production 1″ Pin Ladder Lock buckles and put them to work on his trusty Realm Crossbody Pack. Let’s check out the process below!

The Radavist Not So Serious but Kind of Serious 2023 MADE Bike Show Awards

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The Radavist Not So Serious but Kind of Serious 2023 MADE Bike Show Awards

Best. Best. Best. All the subjectivity, all the time. The era of the NAHBS awards is long gone. No more medals given out to the same four people, year after year. Instead, we’re looking at the most subjective, most obscure, and most ridiculous to dish out a playful, in jest best list from our 2023 MADE Bike Show coverage. Read on below for the best road, best gravel, best mountain, and more…

Assembly Required: Are Lugged Carbon Mountain Bikes Having a Moment?

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Assembly Required: Are Lugged Carbon Mountain Bikes Having a Moment?

No matter how innovative or controversial a given mountain bike technology may be, it’s usually just a means to an end. A way to add efficiency or capability. Sure, these technologies can often make for utterly spectacular rides. But bikes themselves—especially full-suspension bikes—rarely add any soul purely for soul’s sake.

That may be why we love to highlight bikes like the REEB SST, Chromag Darco, and, of course, the Starling Murmur. These bikes have esoteric quirks usually found only on hardtail, gravel, and town bikes. And they just happen to also offer utterly spectacular rides.

But when Travis Engel noticed function-first stalwarts, Pivot and Specialized suddenly teasing in-house experiments in lugged carbon fiber, he wondered if there might be a new search for soul afoot…

Bike Hacks: How to Keep Your Brake Levers Symmetrical on a Modern Gravel Handlebar

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Bike Hacks: How to Keep Your Brake Levers Symmetrical on a Modern Gravel Handlebar

There’s a classic, time-honored technique to help you evenly position your drop-bar brake levers by using a ruler or straightedge. If you know, you know. But handlebars have changed, and the ruler method sometimes won’t apply. So, Travis Engel is here to share a bike hack to help keep the brake lever positions symmetrical on today’s shallow or oddly shaped gravel bars. There’s no ruler involved, but you will make use of some items you may already have in your home office.

Hybrid Moments: A Hudski Doggler Review

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Hybrid Moments: A Hudski Doggler Review

As cyclists, we love bikes that can do more than one thing. A Swiss Army knife rather than a scalpel, if you will. So when a bike like the Hudski Doggler passes through my possession, I want to find its limits and then push through them. I’ve spent a few months riding the Doggler around Santa Fe, in and around our beloved Santa Fe National Forest, and I’m ready to spill the beans on what makes this bike so appropriate for gravel and mountain riding…