Bicycle wheels. They're one of the most important components there is in cycling. Without wheels, your bicycle will be much lighter, but it will also be much, much slower, and it will handle very poorly. So yes, while there are certain situations when you may opt to forego the front for weight savings, generally speaking... Continue Reading →

Once again I managed to get a little Farb time in yesterday: I've been riding it a lot partially because I'm very pleased with the new drivetrain, but also because after you put on a whole bunch of new stuff like that you've got to sort of bed everything in, which is why bike shops... Continue Reading →

As a former semi-professional bike blogger-turned gentleman bike blogger, I bullshit on a daily basis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V_Ck6v6c1ko Yet even I, a veritable font of bullshit, can't fathom how you could possibly do this on a daily basis on video. Yet YouTube is filled with cycling-themed "content creators" who seem able to do just that. So every... Continue Reading →

When it comes to the Tour de France and pro cycling in general, nobody feels as strongly as I do that the women's races are just as important as the men's. This is why I ignore both equally. It's also why I didn't know about this until someone mentioned it in the comments yesterday: Yes,... Continue Reading →

Last summer, for unhappy reasons, I became the custodian of a bicycle by Richard Sachs, who is (say it with me now) the Karl Farbman of Bicycles: While over that time I have made some changes to it (seatpost and stem for fit, wheels because of wheel stuff), I've refrained from making more substantive alterations--not... Continue Reading →

Last week you had the opportunity to purchase Albert Einstein's bicycle saddle: Well, go fetch your wallet and some chain lube, because now here's Mick Jagger's bicycle: [Via Alpaca's sister publication] It even comes with an obsequious thank you letter from a Rolling Stones lackey to Condor Cycles: I'm not sure why this is a... Continue Reading →

An oenophile may have an entire wine cellar, but they can only drink one bottle at a time.* Similarly, I have the bicycle equivalent of a wine cellar, but I can only ride one bike at a time.** And the one I've been riding lately is this: [Getting some use out of that triple!] *[I'm... Continue Reading →

Once upon a time I used to be a professional bike blogger and author, writing books and columns for commercial publishers and mainstream media outlets respectively. Now those days are mostly behind me, and while some might argue it's because I'm no longer relevant, I prefer to believe that it is I who abandoned the... Continue Reading →

Since at least 2022, I have espoused a lifestyle and philosophy I generally refer to as "Dirtbag Road Riding," and its precepts are as follows: The idea that road cycling is elitist is a fallacy, because proximity to gravel roads and dirt trails (or the time and expense required to travel to them) is reserved... Continue Reading →

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to ride in some exotic locations. I've cycled the Swiss Alps on a luxury tour: I've traversed Mt. Tamalpais on a Rivendell: And then there was Cleveland, which makes everyplace else seem positively pedestrian: And this is but a small selection of the trips my former life as... Continue Reading →