Human powered sports, travel, and adventure.
Articles about cycling.
Once upon a time, I was lean, focused, and fit. In 1983, I weighed 153 pounds with 4% body fat. This was after an extensive medically supervised training program after my “accident.” Let’s be precise: it was no accident. We need to stop calling collisions “accidents.” My team of doctors and trainers wanted to get …
Bicycling has been a significant part of my life. My first bike was a Western Auto Buzz Bike Eliminator, which was my birthday present when I turned eight. On my thirteenth birthday, I got my first ten-speed, a Graco GBX 1000. Both of those bikes opened a new world for me to explore. At first, …
Who is the Castelli Spettacolo RoS Glove For? As an avid cyclist for over 40 years, I have tried countless winter cycling gloves in search of the perfect combination of warmth, dexterity, and comfort. Finding a good glove for cycling in Northern Michigan can be challenging! After four years of using the Castelli Spettacolo RoS …
The Castelli Lightness 2 Glove is ideal for those transitional days when you need a Goldilocks solution-It’s just right! The Castelli Lightness 2 glove is a lightweight glove intended for those days when winter gloves are too warm and half-finger gloves are too cold. I live and ride in Northern Michigan, so this glove is …
About the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail The Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail is a 27-mile bicycle and multi-use trail that connects the small towns of Empire, Glen Arbor and ends at Bohemian Road (CR-669). and M-22. It roughly parallels the Lake Michigan shoreline and offers panoramic views of the lake and glimpses into their past. …
About the Huron Sunrise Trail The Huron Sunrise Trail is a bicycling and multi-use trail that runs from Rogers City to the 40 Mile Point Light in Presque Isle County. It’s about 11 miles long and it follows an old railway line for most of its route, which makes it great for bicycling as well …
Back in the late 1990s, Bianchi was one of the first bike companies to offer a complete single-speed mountain bike. Earlier, Bianchi offered a few variations of this bike. In 2001, Bianchi finally offered a celeste model, so I snagged one up! I owned and rode the Bianchi C.U.S.S., which represented this early entry …
Introducing the Otso Waheela C The Otso Waheela C is extremely versatile. It’s a bike that can easily handle gravel rides as well as single track and is equally adept as a road bike. While it is a billed as a gravel bike, I prefer to consider it an all-road bike as it has proven …
The Stages Dash L50 is a Feature Rich Cycling Computer The Stages Dash L50 offers GPS mapping, turn-by-turn navigation, heart rate, power, and of course all of the expected speed, distance, and cadence functions. It also features a bright and vivid display that can be customized to your own preferences. It is compatible with …
Handlebar grips serve two main functions: comfort and control. Both functions are closely related to each other. A well-designed handlebar grip provides sufficient friction to prevent your hand from slipping. The surface should also allow for easy changes in position. This also allows your forearm and finger muscles to be in a more relaxed …
Recently a Facebook group member posted an angry response to how bike clothing manufacturer, VOmax Apparel responded to a comment on one of their Facebook ads. This particular group is a private group for former cycling industry members. The member was aghast that a cycling company would suggest mutual respect and cooperation with drivers of …
Tom Ritchey is best known for building mountain bikes and mountain bike components. He was at the birth of mountain biking way back in the 70’s. Tom however also has a lengthy history in road bikes. After all, Tom was a Cat 1 bike racer and USA National Team member. I decided to …
Firearm deer hunting season begins today in Michigan. On average, around 50,000 hunters will descend upon Michigan looking to bag a deer. A few of the hunters may be on the twitchy side – Not an ideal time to go mountain bike riding. A few years ago, my buddy, The Joe Holmes (Yes…”The”) and I, …
Tom Ritchey builds good bikes. Seriously. The Ritchey Ultra is however beyond good. It should be, as Tom has building mountain bikes since the dawn of mountain biking. The Ultra is the newest distillation of Ritchey’s more than 40 years of experience. Between geometry and tubing selection, the Ultra serves up a bike that …
My long time cycling friend Joe Holmes called me one day and asked me if I wanted to do a ride along in the Firefighters Cycling team car. Having regrettably declined Joe and his offer to me to be the team mechanic for the LeMond-Blender team at the US Pro Cycling Championship road race ten …