Category: Bicycle
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eBike: Build or Buy?
That is the question After my first attempt at buying a kit failed, I decided to put the ebike idea away. But the algorithm’s gonna algorithm, and I started seeing ebike content on my YouTube feed, which led me to more window shopping I’ve always like the look of minibike-styles ebikes from Super 73 and…
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Old Dog, Old Tricks (cycling)
[Note: I wrote this in 2014. Recently rediscovered in my Evernote] One day I put the SerottaIn the basementand turned my attentionto motorcycles and photography. In a blink, days became weeks,became monthsbecame seasonsbecame years of dustsettling on the bikeas I sought other pursuits. And then the midlife camebringing with it a whole slew ofexistential questionsfifteen…
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My first ebike attempt
If at first you don’t succeed… I’ve been ebike curious for a while. After all, I’ve been testing electric motorcycles since 2013 and rode one cross country in 2016. Over the years, I’ve sampled ebikes whenever I’ve had the chance and each time has been a hoot. I enjoy my old-fashioned pedal bikes though and…
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New Jersey’s new ebike law is the wrong law
I can’t embark on this ebike journey without commenting on the new ebike law (S4834/A6235) in my home state of New Jersey. Many ebike riders are upset about them. And confused as well, foregoing the common Class 1, Class 2, and Class 3 ebike designations used throughout the industry and replacing them with the uncommon…
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eBike Curious
Back in 2021, A. and I were bicycle touring around Vermont, laboring up steep hills on loaded touring bikes in order to get to the next brewery and take a break. As we pedaled and sweated in the stifling summer heat, smarter locals would spin by us on ebikes. We joked that we were old…
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Farewell Zizzo Liberté
My great nephew is heading off to college in the fall, so I gave him the Zizzo Liberté to zoom around campus with. I tried to de-nerd it before giving it to him, taking off the racks and old man kickstand and stuff, but the reality is that I have no idea what cool is…
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Pennsylvania’s Endless Mountains
We can confirm with 100% certainty that the Endless Mountains of Pennsylvania are indeed endless. Endlessly hilly, endlessly challenging, but also endlessly picturesque and endlessly fascinating.
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My Ozark Trail “G.2” Explorer
I upgraded my Ozark Trail G.1 over the winter. Made some budget-conscious decisions (2×9 vs 1x, $15 rear derailleur, use stock front derailleur and rear brake and bars, sub $300 650b wheels, parts bin seatpost, saddle, bottom/crank, budget carbon fork, etc…) and some splurge decisions (RedShift stem mainly, but man those reflective hexagons better last!)…
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Farewell, Pocket Rocket
I remember reading about Bike Fridays in bicycle magazines in the 90s. In 2023, I found a used one for sale locally at about a third of the price of a new one, so I gave it a try. It was a revelation; very different than my other folding bike, a Zizzo Liberte. If you…
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1990 Tour de France Publicity Caravan
A Rolling Carnival They close mountain pass roads along the Tour de France route early. Many people get there the night before and camp by the side of the road or arrive super early in the morning and then wait hours for the riders to arrive. It’s a lot of free time listening to the…