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
RBR Editor Picks: Best Cheap Road Bikes
By Stan Purdum Looking for a good, cheap road bike? If you’re new to road cycling you may not be willing to spend thousands of dollars to get a good bicycle -- and there’s no reason you have to. Almost all the major bicycle brands offer one or more road bicycle models for less than $1,000. … [Read more...] about RBR Editor Picks: Best Cheap Road Bikes
Road Biking 101: A Beginner’s Guide
by Stan Purdum “When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking.” — Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes Perhaps you’ve been thinking about taking up road cycling, but you’re already … [Read more...] about Road Biking 101: A Beginner’s Guide
This Eclectic List of Bicycle Touring Books Will Have You Itching to Hit the Road
By Stan Purdum During the year leading up to my 1995 trip on two wheels across America, I read every narrative I could find of other people’s tours, as much to quell my impatience as to prepare me for the road. I was glad to find that a considerable body of first-person literature about such trips existed, and I’ve enjoyed reading other accounts that came along after my … [Read more...] about This Eclectic List of Bicycle Touring Books Will Have You Itching to Hit the Road
This Sturdy, $147 Bicycle Has Changed the Lives of More Than 420,000 People
By Stan Purdum When Road Bike Rider published its List of Bike Brands from A to Z, we invited readers to use the comments section to add any brands not included in the list. And readers did, which was reminder of how wide the field of bicycle makers is. One reader’s suggestion was a surprise: “Buffalo bikes. Made for African backwoods.” And that prompted another reader to … [Read more...] about This Sturdy, $147 Bicycle Has Changed the Lives of More Than 420,000 People
7 Great SRAM Red eTap Road Bikes
by Stan Purdum eTap is the name of SRAM’s proprietary electronic drivetrain for bicycles — the first truly wireless electronic shifting system and the heart of its RED eTap road group. Shift signals are transmitted and received via SRAM’s fully wireless protocol known as Airea. The system, brought to market by SRAM in 2015 and used in a stage win that year in the Tour de … [Read more...] about 7 Great SRAM Red eTap Road Bikes
Best of the Best: These Bicycle Helmets Tested Safest at Multiple Labs
by Stan Purdum There was a day when buying bicycle helmet was primarily a matter of picking one you liked, fit you well and met your budget. And to a degree, that’s still true. All helmets sold in the United States are required by law to meet certain minimum safety standards, and in a crash, any helmet is better than none. I personally have had my head saved from injury … [Read more...] about Best of the Best: These Bicycle Helmets Tested Safest at Multiple Labs
A Bicycle is for Grieving
By Stan Purdum My father died in 2013 while I was on a six-day bicycle ride with Adventure Cycling on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I got the call from my brother Scott the evening of the third day, after a challenging ride that included several long climbs and ended with a glorious and breathtaking 14-mile downhill plunge. The news wasn’t really a surprise, because Dad had … [Read more...] about A Bicycle is for Grieving
Travels With the Conversationalist
By Stan Purdum One’s choice of a cycling companion can change the whole complexion of a bicycle trip. This proved true when, several years ago, I rode a bike tour of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula with my son Scott. By myself, I tend to be an introverted soul, and though I have no trouble speaking up for myself when necessary, I don’t have the same gift for conversing with … [Read more...] about Travels With the Conversationalist
Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure Turns 30
By Stan Purdum The 30th running of the Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure (GOBA) took place June 16-23 this year in central Ohio. This year’s rendition, which was open to 1,500 riders, but which had 1,200 register, was a tour of five cities that together mark the outline of a loop surrounding Ohio’s capital, Columbus. But they were far enough from the metropolitan area that the … [Read more...] about Great Ohio Bicycle Adventure Turns 30
A Miserable Ride on a Miserable Day
By Stan Purdum In the lead during the pouring rain, Dave suddenly swerved his bicycle to a stop. I pulled in behind him. “What's up?” I asked. He looked miserable. “My feet are swimming,” he said. With that, he sat down on the metal guard rail at the edge of the highway and began removing his shoes. I stood shivering as the steady hard rain continued to drench us. The … [Read more...] about A Miserable Ride on a Miserable Day
The Perils of Deferred Maintenance
By Stan Purdum My favorite story about deferred maintenance on a bicycle comes from a group ride I was on a few years ago. When a guy named Ted flatted and didn’t have a pump, I stopped with him so he could use mine. As we removed the wheel, I noticed there was a hole the size of dime in the sidewall of the tire. Once we got the tire off the rim, I also saw a dollar bill folded … [Read more...] about The Perils of Deferred Maintenance
The Bot on the Bicycle
By Stan Purdum While reading a research report having nothing to do with cycling, I saw a connection to cycling nonetheless. The report, titled, “Why good people turn bad online,” was about viciousness and harassment on social media and how to reduce it. Researchers studying that bad conduct have concluded that abusive language is not just the work of sociopaths online, whom … [Read more...] about The Bot on the Bicycle
Of Convenience Stores and Inconvenient Bridges: Tale of an Outer Banks Bicycle Tour
By Stan Purdum I recently happened to see an announcement that the eastbound lanes of North Carolina’s Wright Memorial Bridge, the twin spans across Albemarle Sound between Point Harbor and Kitty Hawk were going to be closed this winter to resurface those lanes. The bridge is the northernmost of only two bridges that enable one to drive — or cycle — to the Outer Banks, … [Read more...] about Of Convenience Stores and Inconvenient Bridges: Tale of an Outer Banks Bicycle Tour
Using a 1200-Lumen Taillight in Daylight
by Stan Purdum In “Living to Ride Another Day” in the March 8, 2018 Road Bike Rider newsletter about daytime running lights used by cyclist Dave Cardarella on his tandem bicycle, I said that one of his taillights is a “1200 lumen import.” I added that Dave had mounted it “on the left side of the left end of the stoker’s handlebar, on the bottom of the drop so as not to … [Read more...] about Using a 1200-Lumen Taillight in Daylight