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Cycling is More Than Just a Hobby: A Story of Recovery and Community Involvement

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Cycling is More Than Just a Hobby: A Story of Recovery and Community Involvement

Maxwell Johnston, an Austin-based photographer, blends his love for cycling and photography to capture stunning scenery and vibrant local events. He is a dedicated advocate for mental health, sharing his journey of recovery and the positive impact of outdoor pursuits. In this article, he draws parallels between maintaining sobriety and sustaining a passion for cycling, emphasizing the importance of community involvement.

Where The Land Empties Out: The Llano Long Route

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Where The Land Empties Out: The Llano Long Route

Miles Payton shares an overnight route on the edge of the outback that loosely traces the Llano River in Central Texas. The route’s remote nature, oft-accompanied by high heat eight months out of the year, deserves appropriate respect and preparation but, as Miles’ describes, traces some of the more unique and compelling geology Texas has to offer.  The route is a reminder that sometimes joy and exhaustion are only separated by ten degrees Fahrenheit, or the soft buffer of a cloud bank, and also that the trips that leave mixed emotions can leave you with more to ponder over after they’re finished. Thanks for sharing Miles!

From the Road to Mexico City: Rattlesnakes, Hot Springs, and Bacanora with Ray Molina

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From the Road to Mexico City: Rattlesnakes, Hot Springs, and Bacanora with Ray Molina

Perhaps you remember Beau? That crazy fella who rode his bike from Boulder, Colorado to Mexico City in the middle of the summer that we profiled last year? Well, John reconnected with Beau after his tour and asked if he had any stories he’d like to share. Little did we know we’d get a tale like this… Also, Beau is doing another postcard project, so read on below for those details as well!

An Epic Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of Impossible Route Season 2, Episode 1: Far West Texas

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An Epic Behind the Scenes Look at the Making of Impossible Route Season 2, Episode 1: Far West Texas

A year ago, I was sitting in a cubicle, drawing lines and shapes that would ultimately become bridges. A tedious job that encouraged daydreaming, so I spent a lot of my time distracting myself with podcasts, audiobooks and YouTube videos. I remember watching a series of videos called The Impossible Route and feeling like, “They’re out there living, I’m in here… not”. Now, don’t get me wrong, working a desk job in an industry that betters society can be incredibly rewarding, but I wasn’t having fun. I wasn’t living the life that was right for me, which in my mind was filled with cycling, adventure, and photography.

Fast forward a year and some change, and I find myself on a three-hour Zoom call with Jeremiah Bishop discussing routes and logistics for Season 2, Episode 1 of The Impossible Route. The journey of how I got here can be saved for another time, but here I was, on the cusp of living. This is The Impossible Route from my perspective.

Bluebird Skies and Blazing Rides: The 2022 East Texas Showdown

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Bluebird Skies and Blazing Rides: The 2022 East Texas Showdown

The East Texas Showdown is a bikepacking event founded last year by Patrick Farnsworth, notoriously known as the host of the Bikes or Death podcast. The event includes two distance options: the 380-mile SHOWdown or the 280-mile SLOWdown. With the event’s theme revolving around the community, the offer of two distances provides intrigue to both seasoned and newer bikepackers.

Developing a Craft: A 35mm Look into Chumba Cycles Production

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Developing a Craft: A 35mm Look into Chumba Cycles Production

It has been a little over a year since we relocated Chumba Bikes to our new, bigger, and brighter shop space in South Austin. We have yet to host an open house here due to COVID and trying to keep our staff as safe as possible. I approached Vince about doing a 35mm photography project to share our new shop space along with the hands that have moved Chumba forward. To showcase our new shop I shot a month’s worth of photos and compiled this gallery. I’m excited to give you a peep into our world at Chumba!

The Scenic Route: A Celebration of Austin Texas’ Vibrant Cycling and Creative Communities

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The Scenic Route: A Celebration of Austin Texas’ Vibrant Cycling and Creative Communities

There is a particular sensation of Austin on a bicycle. Meandering down hills with the backdrop of limestone cliffs and steel bridges bathed by violet sunsets. Traffic accompanied by the symphony of splashing springs, live music, and bike bells. Gently humid evenings with wafts of cedar trees, whiskey, tacos, and brisket. Scenic Route celebrates Austin’s unique overlaps of culture and nature, artistry and athleticism – dichotomies exquisitely experienced on our bikes. Scenic Route is a collaborative Art show between Will Bryant, Gideon Tsang, Rapha that celebrates Austin Texas’ vibrant cycling and creative communities.

Dark Realm’s New Crossbody Hip/Sling Bag

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Dark Realm’s New Crossbody Hip/Sling Bag

Our friends Hanson and Vanessa from Dark Realm down in Austin, TX just announced a new hip/sling bag dubbed the Crossbody. This new bag utilizes Dark Realm’s proprietary dyed XPac fabric dubbed “alligator camo” and is loaded with features.

Specs:
-X10 waterproof canvas (made in US). custom dyed cotton canvas outer with laminated x-ply and waterproof backing for stability and water resistance
-400d packcloth liner fabric
-YKK water resistant zippers (made in US) with silent 550 paracord zipper pulls (made in US)
-lightweight fidlock magnetic buckle on waist strap
-1.5″ wide main strap, adjustable up to 48″ waist/chest
-zippered outer pocket, inner pocket, and 3-slot inner slip pocket
-closed cell foam padded back panel (made in US) for structure and comfort
-cinch straps on sides and bottom
-embroidered art on bottom
-12″ wide // 7″ tall // 4″deep

See more at Dark Realm.

Archive Re-Up: Escaping Black Friday with Bicycle Camping, Bourbon, and Black Coffee

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Archive Re-Up: Escaping Black Friday with Bicycle Camping, Bourbon, and Black Coffee

When we lost our image bucket from 2014-2015 a few years back, a bunch of really great content went blank. Over the years, I’ve been slowly re-upping our archives when I want to add a back-link to a current post or story. That happened last week when writing about the Buckhorn Bags Panniers. I remembered our “Escaping Black Friday” Reportage and tracked down the film scans, allowing me to re-up the fun. I also added the RideWithGPS route to the archive as well. If you’re in the Austin, Texas area and are looking for a good (and difficult) road tour, don’t miss this one!

Archive Re-Up: Escaping Black Friday with Bicycle Camping, Bourbon, and Black Coffee

If there’s a story you remember and really would like to see re-posted, drop it in the comments!