I’ve always admired the lust-inducing photos of vintage, quill-driven, lugged randonneuring gems, beautifully documented within the pages of sites such as Lovely Bicycle. So I decided to attempt and give one of these old steeds a shiny second life.

Olde Hickory is steadily rising on my favorite brewery list. I discovered the Redeemer and quickly snatched up a bottle to bring for a post-ride treat at the Bent Creek Campground.

Never having operated a sewing machine, I have always been fascinated and intimidated by the fabric arts. I decided that a trial-by-fire is the best way to learn and made a canvas frame bag one afternoon…

Steve has been a trustworthy and tough steed that has now been on two international tours. He has a few scratches and dings, but still looks sharp.

The third edition of Bunyan Velo—A quarterly collection of photographs, essays, and stories celebrating the simple pleasures of traveling by bicycle—is now available! Within its pages you will find memoirs from 15 riders traveling everywhere from the Kenai Peninsula to the West Australian desert. I was honored to have my own article, An Impromptu Journey, and photography included in this issue.

I finally finished transforming an old lugged steel Craiglist turd into a sweet light-touring/randonuerring bike. On the maiden voyage she rode like a dream and here’s how I celebrated…

Ridiculously difficult climbs… Long and hot stretches between anything… Smog-belching busses missing you by mere inches… Incessant hunger…Leg cramps… Undying headwinds… What’s not to love about all that?

On this second installment of FilmFestFriday, I decided to pull together several videos that capture two things that bikepacking great… wilderness and camaraderie. Here are four bikepacking videos that may inspire you to strap some bags to your trusty steed and head out into the forest.

I’m a die-hard side sleeper, and no spring chicken, so a wafer thin Thermarest mat isn’t an option. After a long ride, fully loaded, having a fairly thick and plush pad is a must, no matter the weight penalty. And now you don’t have to have carry a 2 pound gigantic bundle in order to be comfortable…

Beer and bikes, you can have one without the other… but its just not as much fun! That was the headline on the fledgling brewery’s Kickstarter page when it launched in January 2013. The three founders of Crank Arm Rickshaw Company are just as passionate about beer as they are about turning cranks, which led them to spin-off this bike and beer destination.

Finding the ideal tire is something that two-wheeled nomads seem to spend a lot of time thinking about prior to, and during a trip. I have talked with folks who have blown out a couple of sidewalls, been plagued with flats or just went through several inferior sets of rubber. They all come full circle to the Mondial after a while. Or at the very least, they want a pair.

I had read somewhere that Selle Anatomica’s Titanico is the cadillac of long-distance saddles…The king of comfort. So before going on our Central American bumpy road odyssey I thought I’d give it a shot, for my ass’s sake. Here is my 6,000 kilometer review.