by Stan Purdum Bikepacking is self-supported bicycle touring off-road and in the back country where traditional panniers and tag-along trailers have been replaced by packs that attach to the bike without racks and maintain a narrow profile to avoid snagging on trailside vegetation. Typically, bikepackers rely on handlebar packs, frame packs, seat packs and smaller peripheral … [Read more...] about Best Seat Packs for Bikepacking
Bikepacking Bags Basics: A Guide to What you Need
by Stan Purdum Bikepacking is the off-road / adventure cycling sister of bike touring, and the gear associated with it makes multi-day adventures in the backcountry or on mixed terrain easier. Bike touring, as the term is used today, usually refers to cycling on paved roads with your personal gear attached to the bike either by means of panniers (saddlebags) mounted on … [Read more...] about Bikepacking Bags Basics: A Guide to What you Need
Pursued by the Peterbilt
By Stan Purdum One memorable day on my ride on US 62, from Niagara Falls, New York, to El Paso, Texas, occurred when I crossed the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. I started the day in Paducah, Kentucky. Here’s an excerpt from my book, about that ride, Playing in Traffic: … [Read more...] about Pursued by the Peterbilt
A Journey to Appreciation
By Stan Purdum Sometimes bicycle journeys have benefits you don’t expect, as this narrative of a trip with my son Scott 30 years ago indicates. I wrote this shortly after the trip, but I was reminded of it recently during a conversation with him. “I don’t like long bike rides,” said my son, Scott. We were in the first five miles of our long-planned and anticipated … [Read more...] about A Journey to Appreciation
Dealing with Cycle-Guilt
By Stan Purdum “I have a family, and although my dream is to have a bicycle pilgrimage, I would feel incredibly guilty about leaving my family. I’d have a sense that I had abandoned them, and I don’t think I could shake that feeling.” … [Read more...] about Dealing with Cycle-Guilt
How to Thrive While Camping in the Rain at Cycling Events
by Stan Purdum I’m recently back from attending the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA), an annual cycling event that just completed its 31st edition. Each year, the GOBA team maps out a different week-long loop of Ohio towns and layover days, and 1500 riders pedal up to 400 miles. Though there are a few indoor sleeping areas for registrants that book and pay for them in … [Read more...] about How to Thrive While Camping in the Rain at Cycling Events
GPS Bike Computer Roundup
by Stan Purdum GPS computers are great devices for bikes, not only for navigation, but also for tracking your performance. Garmin and Wahoo are the big brands that most people are familiar with, but there are several other suppliers offering a range of choices. Here’s a roundup of all the available GPS bike computers we could find. Not every feature of each unit is … [Read more...] about GPS Bike Computer Roundup
Which Bicycle Gear Is the Hardest and the Easiest?
By Stan Purdum Assuming you’re talking about a bicycle with the gear mechanisms out in plain sight, which is the most common way bicycles are geared, the hardest (highest) gear is when the chain is on the biggest toothed ring by the pedals (called the “front” in shifting jargon, even though the pedals are in the middle of the bike) and the smallest toothed ring on the rear … [Read more...] about Which Bicycle Gear Is the Hardest and the Easiest?
Taken by Storm
by Stan Purdum Note: This is excerpted from Stan Purdum’ book Roll Around Heaven All Day: A Piecemeal Journey Across America by Bicycle. Bicycling eastbound in central Kansas on my ride across America, I rolled into tiny Rush Center. In a grocery store, I grabbed an early supper. The sun, which had been shining merrily all day, continued to gleam. Assuming that promised a … [Read more...] about Taken by Storm
How long is a typical road bike race?
by Stan Purdum Ever wondered how far cyclists go in a typical road bike race? It depends a lot on the exact type of race. There are several types of road bicycle races, including criteriums, traditional road races, time trials, stage races, gravel races, gran fondos and even cyclocross races. The distances really depend on the type of race and which category of bicycle … [Read more...] about How long is a typical road bike race?
How a Ride Becomes a “Thing”
by Stan Purdum I recently rode a new route, which started at the trailhead of a long, paved bicycle path I’ve ridden many times. But the new route didn’t use the path; it was on the nearby crossroad, with the trailhead simply providing a good place to leave my car. From the map, I’d estimated my intended route as being about 22 miles, a shorter distance than I normally … [Read more...] about How a Ride Becomes a “Thing”
These Floor Pumps Let You Mount Tubeless Tires
by Stan Purdum If you ride a recent model mountain bike or gravel bike, you've probably already dealt with tubeless tires. Road tubeless wheels and tires are also making inroads. Once you make the switch to tubeless tires on any of your bikes, you'll discover that mounting them using just the floor pump you used for regular tires with tubes is not easy and often … [Read more...] about These Floor Pumps Let You Mount Tubeless Tires
Electrifying Murray Brings Back the Joy of Cycling
By Stan Purdum In 2011, while living in Ohio, I cowrote a book with Murray Fishel titled Pedaling on the North Coast: Biking the Streets of Greater Cleveland. It’s a narrated guide to 18 bicycle rides in the greater Cleveland area, published by the University of Akron Press. The collaboration with Murray was the result of a chance meeting on a group ride. We didn’t know … [Read more...] about Electrifying Murray Brings Back the Joy of Cycling
Road Bike Floor Pumps: RBR Editor Round Up
By Stan Purdum Most cyclists need a floor pump. If you have an air compressor with the proper adapter, it can be effective and useful for putting on tubeless road or tubeless mountain bike tires and seating them on the rim. But for day to day usage, a floor pump is essential for filling and topping off the air pressure in your tires. It's much easier than attempting to use a … [Read more...] about Road Bike Floor Pumps: RBR Editor Round Up
Another Sort of Bicycle Adventure
By Stan Purdum I noticed three things almost simultaneously about the mountain bicycle leaning against the earthen bank: It was a Cannondale, it was an adult-sized bike and it had a sign on it reading “FREE.” I’m primarily a road cyclist and have all the bikes I need for that pursuit, but I’ve been looking for a mountain bike to use on the 70-mile-long Delaware and … [Read more...] about Another Sort of Bicycle Adventure