Evan Christenson

In his latest story, Evan Christenson heads to Chile to ride pieces of the infamous Carretera Austral. The internet abounds with questions about the well-trodden route, including how hard it is and what’s needed to ride it. Evan meets several unconventional characters along the way, and they inspire his fired-up response to the classic questions. Read on for more…

Aly Winkler, now four years past her diagnosis of retinitis pigmentosa, an eye degeneration disease, is still out there chasing her dreams of seeing the world before the lights go out. Evan Christenson caught up with her for two weeks of pedaling together through the rolling hills and glaciated peaks of Patagonia. Read on to discover Aly’s truly inspiring story…

For his latest piece, Evan Christenson goes out to Slab City in California to ride with Gregory Rubin, the eclectic bikepacker and bag maker based in the infamous desert community. In Slab City, the land is left to those who’ve squatted it, and what’s grown out of it is a fascinating mix of all things human, art, nature, thievery, and tomfoolery. Urban Desert bikepacking bags have been around for a decade, and we’re excited to spotlight this unique addition to the space…

For Evan Christenson’s Budget Bikepacking Build-Off entry, he looked around at the people closest to him and asked, “Who needs a bike?” Enter his sister, an eclectic free-spirit who’s been afraid of bikes for two decades. Read on for the transformation of a 1990s Bianchi Ibex and, more importantly, another person who has sampled the beauty of life on two wheels…

Evan Christenson recently poked his head into his local bike co-op and immediately fell in love with the community-based organization. He stayed for months to figure out what makes it tick, quickly becoming another one of the regulars. Read on for his full-hearted perspective on what makes bike co-ops special…

As a kid, Evan Christenson was regularly packed into the car for trips from San Diego to Phoenix to see family, blasting through the desert along Interstate 8. In this piece, he loads up his humble bicycle and retraces the route under his own power and on his own schedule, fully experiencing its contours, abundant life, and complex dynamics for the first time. Find his story and a riveting set of photos here…

Having spent most of the year living on his bike, including eight months around Africa, Evan Christenson put together an eclectic roundup of his favorite things of 2024 and an engaging reflection on “stuff” after needing uniquely little of it this year. Dive into Evan’s Editor’s Dozen here…

While in Winter Park, Colorado, Evan and his partner Bo go for an overnighter with the crew at Yeehaw Giddyup, a tiny operation that puts on cozy group rides with a delicious side quest. Read on for some wholesome thoughts on riding bikes and coming together…

After an exhausting year on the road, Evan Christenson returns home and, in search of some control, learns the ropes of sewing. He then takes an impromptu masterclass from Adam Nicholson, the maker behind San Util Design in Winter Park, Colorado. The two new friends ride together and build a beautiful one-of-a-kind bag out of scraps. Click through for Evan’s thoughts on the value of craft…

In part two of his series on World Bicycle Relief, Evan Christenson heads out for a bikepacking trip around Kenya and Tanzania on the Buffalo Bicycle. He rides for weeks, meeting characters and contemplating development and the organization’s role in Africa. Click through for his story and another incredible photo gallery…

In the first report from his most recent travels around East Africa, Evan Christenson shares a look inside World Bicycle Relief’s operations in Kenya and the on-the-ground impacts its dependable Buffalo bikes have on the everyday lives of the people who ride them. Read their powerful stories of mobility and find a captivating photoset here…

Filling a niche that only bikepackers who’ve endured a grueling push up steep and rugged terrain are likely to appreciate, the Restrap Hike-a-Bike Harness offers a simple and effective way to take a walk with your bike. Evan Christensen tested one on the rocky slopes of Mt. Kilimanjaro, and he reports in with this Restrap Hike-a-Bike Harness review. Read it here…