Welcome to hell
The so-called Grand Tours of cycling, the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia and the Vuelta a Espana, get all the attention from casual cycling fans. They’re colorful pageants in the warm days of summer, usually won by a photogenic skinny guy who goes up mountains like a spandex festooned goat. But the Spring Classic [...]
A global passion celebrated in print
Print media’s golden years may be in the rear-view, but no matter how digitized the world becomes, a few magazines will always have a home on our desks. The Ride Journal is a boutique publication we recently stumbled upon that any cycling fan will fawn over. One look at its clean approach to photography and [...]
Ride in style, all year long
Testing cycling gear during a Minneapolis winter is not the most appealing proposition, even on the most unseasonably warm days. As if navigating ice patches, potholes and salty streets aren’t enough, the cojones-shrinking wind-chill will make even the toughest rider consider joining a spin class at the gym. But as the well known adage goes, [...]
Just the push you need
Electric bicycles present a nice compromise to green commuters who are slightly apprehensive about relying solely on their own stamina to get around. Unfortunately, they’re expensive (usually $1,000 and up). The Ridekick electric bicycle trailer ($700) can add up to a 19 mph electric push to any existing bike, making it a more affordable solution [...]
Hidden In Plain Sight
Quarterre is first and foremost a London-based, multi-disciplinary design studio that has been lending their talents to luxury manufacturers over the past four decades in the fields of transport, product, and entertainment design. They also dabble in creating fantastic looking bike accessories that provide convenient storage to two-wheeled commuters without sacrificing a sense of interior [...]
The fine folks at Gear Junkie brought this film starring Minneapolis custom bicycle builder Eric Noren, founder of Peacock Groove Cycles to our attention. Proclaimed as the Liberace of bikes by some, in this short film Noren covers his approach to creating the ultimate two-wheeled ride that hipsters, road bikers, or any fan of self-powered [...]
Woodn't you?
Sometimes aesthetics play second fiddle to environmental sustainability. Some automobiles come to mind. In the case of the 2011 Audi duoCity, design reigns alongside being green. Audi has partnered with Portland, OR based Renovo, maker of custom hardwood bikes. With impressive lightness, stiffness (hold back on the wood jokes) and shock absorbency, the duoCity boasts [...]
E.T. should've been so lucky
Transporting your little tyke in a car is hard enough. Try it on a bike. Now try it with two. Now, jump through a burning ring of fire. Okay, you get it. It’s no picnic. If you use a trailer, it’s hard to see the kids and hard to negotiate a corner. If you use [...]
Be Abominable
If you’ve ever tried (and failed) to ride your bike in the winter and if you’re a big fan of public attention, feast your eyes (and your wallet) on the Ktrak Snowmobile Bike Kit ($529). Designed as an add on to your current two-wheeler, the Ktrak will enable you to pedal your way through snow [...]
What, No Pegs?
Back in the 80s, it was cool (or at least we thought it was) to put baseball cards between the spokes of your bike tire so everyone could hear you doing your best Lance Armstrong down the street. Now, nearly 20 years later, baseball cards have been replaced by 1.2 kW electric motors that allow [...]
White on the Outside but Green in Mindset
Looking like something an eco conscious storm trooper might toddle into work with to spite his warp drive guzzling co workers, the F MODE Foldable Bike’s ($2,200) futuristic design belies its practicality. That is if you can afford to own one. Built for city commuters looking to exercise and do their part for the earth, [...]
Build a Bike Just to Your Liking
It may seem strange that a clothing company would get into the custom bike racket, but with the trend of bikes becoming an extension of one’s look and style, Urban Outfitters may just be ahead of the curve. Created in partnership with Republic Bike Inc., by visiting Bikes.urbanoutfitters.com users can easily customize a basic Aristotle [...]
Beauty On Two Wheels
Some things are built to be practical. Other things are meant to simply stun onlookers by the sheer aesthetic awesomeness of their design. The Velorbis Leikier Bicycle ($2,995) falls into the latter bucket, and we aren’t complaining. Created through a partnership between renowned custom bicycle manufacturer Velorbis and Danish designer and blacksmith, Lars Leikier, this [...]
It’s safe to say that very little has changed on bicycles since they first became popular at the beginning of the 20th century. So, when I saw the new Trek District and Soho, I instantly thought “GAME CHANGER.” Trek has gone all Mavericky on us and dropped the ubiquitous chain for a new carbon fiber belt [...]
It’s had been a long time since I’ve hopped on a bicycle and cruised around the neighborhood. It’s been so long in fact that I don’t even own a bicycle anymore. Having been in and out of various sporting good stores and bike shops browsing for a trusty steed to pedal around, it was tough [...]
