I've got a new column on the Outside web presence: Not sure about that stock photo--I mean they might as well have just gone with this: I realize that going on and on about how batteries are destroying cycling and humanity just makes me sound like an old fuddy-duddy, but I'm positively cutting-edge compared to... Continue Reading →

I was walking in Brooklyn not too long ago when I noticed this: Here's the story: What, all those words and no detail on the drivetrain or the frame tubing? I am deeply offended as a taxpayer. Speaking of vintage bikes, I'm pleased to report that this past Friday I had a breakthrough with the... Continue Reading →

Good morning. Firstly, if the key to your lock breaks and you can't get to your bike, here's what to do: Step 1: As your building superintendent if he's got anything that can cut through a u-lock. Step 2: There is no Step 2. Secondly, it's a solemn day on the Jewish calendar: Yom Kippur,... Continue Reading →

It seems like only just last week when we were discussing cranks, because it was, and of course the big news in bike parts is that Shimano is now recalling a shitload of them: I guess Ultra-Torque doesn't look so bad now, does it? ["In faccia, Shimano!"] But the problem isn't the whole Hollowtech II... Continue Reading →

As the creator of the Chris King Headset Composite Index, I was dismayed to learn (several days after it was reported, I'm pretty checked out these days) that the Chris King headquarters has been robbed: I'm loath to even mention this, since last time I mentioned a stolen show bike I got in all kinds... Continue Reading →

Further to yesterday's post, my other Rivendell is an A. Homer Hilsen (there's a bumper sticker for you, Rivendell), and that too has evolved over the years, going from twee country rambler to slightly less twee urban workhorse: And no, I couldn't live with the orange pedals anymore: On Monday I mentioned how we're all... Continue Reading →

After two weeks of mostly road riding, this past weekend I returned to the beguiling dirt trails of suburbia: To urban and rural types alike these environs may seem tame, but make no mistake--you never know when you might have a pulse-pounding wildlife encounter: https://videopress.com/v/UmMuomqn?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true I could practically feel its hot breath and smell its... Continue Reading →

Over my 36 years of semi-professional bike blogging I've amassed tens if not dozens of loyal followers from all walks of life, from sports heroes: To scoundrels: Then there's Jeremy Vine: Frankly, I'm more worried about Jeremy than any of my other followers. I try not to look at Twitter, but every so often I... Continue Reading →

It's mid-September, and there's an autumn crispness in the air, like piercing the skin of an apple or cracking the binding on a new school textbook. Yes, this bracing sensation confirms what you already knew, which is that summer's over and you've got to start wearing pants again, which is kind of sad, but it... Continue Reading →

No matter how well something works, the bicycle industry seems determined to reinvent it. Consider the quick release, an utterly reliable component which allows you to attach and release a wheel in seconds that has now all but vanished from the performance bicycle, only to be replaced by the thru-axle...which for all practical purposes works... Continue Reading →