Field Trips

With nearly eight years of products, improvements, and iterations, Wizard Works has come a long way. Started as a means to provide bags for themselves, founders Harry and Ve have long since had a dream of making their fun and fabulous bags waterproof. Now, after years of exploring the realities of what it takes to do so, they’re here. In Nic’s Wizard Works shop visit, he dives into the story behind their long, strange journey to aquatic impermeability…

After meeting Jesse Turner at MADE in 2024, Nic caught up with the young framebuilder on a recent trip through Arkansas. Though their time together was limited, Nic got an inside look at the life of an up-and-coming builder amid the choppy seas that make up today’s bike industry. Pushing well beyond geometry and tubing choices, dive into Nic’s Field Trip to Slow Southern Steel here…

From its origins of ripping old seatbelts out of demolished cars to make pedal straps, Restrap has grown into a force in the bikepacking bag space. During a recent trip to the UK, editor Nic Morales learned of the company’s humble origins, dedication to manufacturing in the UK, and how they’ve stayed true to their DIY ethos as they’ve grown into a global player. Look inside Restrap here…

During Nic’s recent Stayer Cycles shop visit in East London, he caught up with Sam Taylor and dove deep into all manner of candid conversations. From chats about the brink of financial ruin to what makes the bespoke bike industry special, dig into this unique view of a small corner of a big industry below…

Fabricating bikes under the name Medusa Cycles, Pete Skelton is a sign painter and mechanic turned custom framebuilder in England’s Greater Manchester area. In the lead-up to this year’s Bespoked show, Dan Monaghan visited the Medusa workshop in Pete’s backyard shed to watch him bring an award-winning show bike to life. Find a short video visit with photos and a written profile here…

In his latest profile of cycling manufacturers in Germany, Josh Meissner takes us on a tour of Tout Terrain, which has been designing and assembling expedition-ready bicycles for world travelers since 2005. Despite no sparks flying on their lean shop floor, the extensive engineering that goes into these singularly rugged touring bikes turns out to be well worth a closer look…

What’s a sleeping bag beyond goose down in a nylon shell? A whole lot more, as Josh Meissner found out on a ride to Gdynia, Poland, where he connected with the passionate folks behind established ultralight manufacturer Cumulus Outdoor. Settle in for an exclusive tour of their factory and go-to overnighter spot, thoughts on the nuanced ethics of down, and a relational take on local production and repairability, all set against a lovely backdrop of summer on the Baltic Sea…

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…

While many bike shops operate as beacons of community, the anecdotal truth is that they’re not all created equal. From large-scale manufacturers expanding their fleets of in-person facilities to tired sales tactics and antiquated shop culture, today’s shops are transitioning. To better understand how one of the longest-running shops in the US keeps pace with the twisting and turning of the larger bike economy, Nic Morales visited Alder Threlkeld and Max Hitch of Rodriguez Bikes in Seattle…

Ever wondered how DT Swiss makes their spokes, adds graphics, or builds their wheels? Well, you’re in luck. Neil took a field trip to their North American facility last month, where he got the inside scoop on all that and more. Find the video tour and photo gallery here…

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…

In our latest Field Trip, Sam Rice and Bec Norman go behind the scenes at Apidura in London. From its Tour Divide origins to becoming B Corp certified, Apidura has helped revolutionize sustainable bikepacking gear. Join Sam and Bec as they explore Apidura’s commitment to longevity, dive into their innovative Revive program, and uncover how they’re reshaping industry standards…