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A publication of ADVENTURE ASSOCIATION

The Drivetrain Dilemma 13

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RIDING SECRET SLOVENIA 30

FINAL MILE: PAUL HARVEY & SERENDIPITY 58

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21728 Edge Touring Vineyard Ad-AdvCycling.indd 1 5/14/14 11:17 AM EDITOR LETTER

Letter from the Editor

TIMELY TOPICS

A new approach to the Cyclists’ Travel Guide

➺ WE’VE published many a the Northern Tier Route had received 6,012 views, roundup of touring bikes and one of only four films on the channel to cross the 6,000 covered the process of buying them view mark, but we’re expecting the second film, Adventure pretty thoroughly in the recent Cycling Montana — TransAm to out perform the first film by past (you can find those versions a significant margin. As an aside, and this is mostly for the here: adventurecycling.org/ guys out there, the film that appears below Adventure Cycling adventure-cyclist/online-features/ – Northern Tier is titled Between the Parks: Missoula to Flathead touring-bike-buyers-guide) but Lake and has received more views than our first film and I’m we’ve decided to take a different pretty sure I know why (bikinis maybe?). Don’t do it! We tack in this Cyclists’ Travel Guide. have a long way to go to stake our claim to the most-viewed We’ve been hearing from readers title because another film, Experience The Rut: Episode 2, has and bike builders that it’s increasingly difficult for them to spec received over 15,000 views to date, but I have faith in Adventure touring bikes with drivetrain components that provide proper Cyclist readers to take us over the top. Come on, people, you gear ratios, especially in the lower end for climbing on a loaded can do it! Show those runners what cyclists are made of! touring bike. It would be easy for us to think that the bicycle industry just doesn’t care about our corner of the market — Michael Deme that sentiment has prevailed for years — but since there are Editor-in-chief, Adventure Cyclist more touring, bikepacking, expedition, and trekking bikes [email protected] being built than ever before, and bike travel in all its forms has been a solidly growing segment, we thought it would worth CORRECTIONS: investigating what’s happening from the industry point of view. ►The Dec./Jan. issue misidentified the highway on the In Dan D’Ambrosio’s “The Drivetrain Dilemma,” we hear from cover photo. It is U.S. Route 396 in California. builders, product managers, and industry heavyweights about the current state of affairs in this regard. We’re hoping better ►The March issue’s announcement of Bicycle Route 66 in understanding will lead to better purpose-built bikes. Let’s the Waypoints department incorrectly called a stretch of dream together about that. highway in Chicago the “Miracle Mile.” Michigan Avenue in By the time you read this issue, the second short film in downtown Chicago is known as the “Magnificent Mile.” our Adventure Cycling Montana series should be available ►2015 Photo Contest winner Anna Poltorak’s name was on Epic Montana’s YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/ misspelled on the caption of her winning image. EpicMontanaChannel). As I write this, the first film about

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS COPY EDITOR Michael Deme Dan D’Ambrosio Phyllis Picklesimer [email protected] Patrick O’Grady Willie Weir ADVERTISING DIRECTOR MANAGING EDITOR Jan Heine Rick Bruner 509.493.4930 Alex Strickland [email protected] [email protected] June Siple Josh Tack ART DIRECTOR APRIL 2015 Greg Siple Volume 42 Number 3 [email protected]

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 03 04 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 05 VOLUME 42 ∞ NUMBER 3 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG contentsAPRIL 2015

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is America’s only magazine dedicated to bicycle travel. It is published nine times each year by the Adventure Cycling Association, a nonprofit service organization for recreational bicyclists. Individual membership costs $40 yearly to U.S. addresses and includes a subscription to Adventure Cyclist and discounts on Adventure Cycling maps. For more information about Adventure Cycling Association and Adventure Cyclist magazine, visit adventurecycling.org or call 800.755.2453.

SUBMISSIONS INFORMATION: Adventure Cyclist accepts stories, articles, and photographs for publication from various sources. We publish stories about bicycle travel and other recreational cycling subjects but do not cover competitive cycling. If you features are interested in submitting a story or article to Adventure Cyclist, please visit us online at adventurecycling.org/submit CYCLISTS’ TRAVEL SLOVENIA: THE for further information and guidelines. GUIDE 12 EUROPEAN CYCLING ➺ From tech to tips, get GEM YOU’VE NEVER ready for your best year of CURRENT ISSUE NOTES: 30 “This year’s Cyclists’ Travel Guide riding yet. HEARD OF feature is a little bit different from ➺ It has the mountains of past editions. Last year Nick Legan 13 THE DRIVETRAIN DILEMMA 52 (who reviews gear on p. 20) wrote a Switzerland, the coastline lllllby Dan D’Ambrosio fresh take on a Touring Bike Buyer’s of Greece, and it’s cheaper Guide outlining some of the latest and greatest bike options. Instead 16 PLUS SIZE by Casey Greene than . But can you find 14 of revisiting that platform for the it on a map? by Carolyn Bys second year in a row, we’re shooting 17 to provide a breadth of helpful IN PRAISE OF BIG RUBBER and Tyler Robertson insight that goes beyond gear. This llllllby Alex Strickland is anchored by a piece from Dan D’Ambrosio looking at the drivetrain 20 BIKEPACKING GEAR EUROVELO 54 issues that are keeping product managers up at night and filling ➺ When finished, the online forum threads. Dive in, get your 22 2015 TRAVEL BIKES EuroVelo network will pass season started, and we’ll see you through 42 countries. out there.” 24 SOLO CYCLING: A WOMAN’S – Alex Strickland This is how they do it. Managing Editor, Adventure Cyclist LLLLPERSPECTIVE by Steph Mann by European Cyclist OUR COVER: 26 IN THE Federation Steven Hayford rides through western Montana on Day 1 of 61 on Adventure LLLLDEVELOPING WORLD Cycling’s North Star tour in 2014. iiiiiiby Damian Antonio Photo by Greg Siple.

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This Month Online ➺ For more Adventure Cyclist related content, be sure to visit our website at adventurecycling.org/adventure-cyclist.

GEARED UP You’ve read the Cyclists’ Travel Guide, checked the maps and planned the trip, now make sure you’ve got the right gear at adventurecycling.org/0415-gear.

DEPARTMENTS LETTERS COLUMNS 10 Waypoints 03 LETTER from the 48 Road Test 40 Annual Report Editor Patrick O’Grady Novara Mazama 56 Life Member Profile 08 LETTER from the Director 52 Fine Tuned Final Mile 58 Josh Tack 60 Marketplace/Classifieds Avoiding Flats 66 Companions Wanted 67 Open Road Gallery

NOVARA MICHAEL COLLIER MAZAMA 48 RIDE2RECOVERY Wide bars, wide A 500-mile ride down the Pacific tires, and a price that won’t leave Coast with a group of wounded your wallet thin. veterans is moving in more ways $1,099 than one. Michael Collier joins the California Challenge and glimpses the power of cycling and the human spirit at adventurecycling.org/calichallenge.

@TheBicycleStory: Cool pics of 1973 Nat Geo feature on touring from @BicyclingMag: Route Alaska to Argentina feat. @ 66 Bike Route maps are advcyclingassoc founders available now! Thanks to simplicityvintagecycles. everyone who supported @advcyclingassoc! com/2012/10/01/cycling- in-print-iv/

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 07 Letter from the Director

APRIL 2015 Volume 42 Number 3 adventurecycling.org

MISSION Adventure Cycling Association inspires and YOUTH MOVEMENT empowers people to travel by bicycle. AREAS OF FOCUS Provide the premier tools and inspiration for people to travel by bicycle. Expand ... and another membership record and integrate bike travel networks for North America. Create the best possible conditions for Adventure Cycling for bicycle travel. HOW TO REACH US To join, change your address, or ask questions about membership, visit us online ➺ HEADING into spring, I got at adventurecycling.org or call two jolts of energy. The first was 800.755.2453 or 406.721.1776. EMAIL learning that Adventure Cycling [email protected] set another record for membership SUBSCRIPTION ADDRESS at 47,538. Kudos to Membership Adventure Cycling Association P.O. Box 8308 Director Julie Huck and her team, Missoula, MT 59807 but also to you for being part of the HEADQUARTERS Adventure Cycling Association largest cycling member nonprofit 150 E. Pine St. in North America — and special Missoula, MT 59802 thanks to those of you who have STAFF joined as Life Members. Jim and Keilan Sayer doing an interview with Teen Radio EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Jim Sayer The other jolt was a more (from Santa Barbara, California) at the Youth Bike Summit. [email protected] youthful kind. For the first time, I CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER attended the national Youth Bike Summit outreach to youthful audiences to inspire Sheila Snyder, CPA in Seattle. I had the pleasure of doing and empower them to travel by bike. MEMBERSHIP & DEVELOPMENT Julie Huck Annette Stahelin a short keynote with my 16-year-old Last year, we had 10 applications; this Thomas Bassett Gage Poore Josh Tack daughter Keilan before 425 enthusiastic year, we received 52 and are working hard Brian Bonham MEDIA attendees, followed by a workshop on to select the winners. Not only did we Lisa McKinney Michael McCoy bicycle travel. If you ever worry about receive many more applications, but the PUBLICATIONS whether young people are interested in quality of the submissions is stunningly Michael Deme Greg Siple Cassie Nelson Alex Strickland cycling, go to the Youth Bike Summit; good. We are grateful to the donors IT DEPARTMENT you’ll worry a lot less! (By the way, who sponsored this program (especially John Sieber Richard Darne David Barth next year’s summit will be in St. Paul, Betsy and Andy Baur, who gave a special TOURS Arlen Hall Darrah Rogers Lydia Hess Minnesota, on May 27-29, 2016.) There matching gift) and we’re hopeful we’ll Michael Lessard Mandy Hale were amazing ideas and energy — and be able to award more scholarships in ROUTES AND MAPPING dozens of sessions (led by young people) coming years. Carla Majernik Jennifer Milyko Nathan Taylor Casey Greene on how young people can use cycling As I travel the country, members ask Melissa Thompson Travis Switzer to build better lives and a better world. if I see many young people traveling by SALES AND MARKETING It was wonderful to have bike travel be bike. My answer is an unqualified “yes!” Teri Maloughney a larger part of this gathering — and we We have loads of young visitors cycling TRAVEL INITIATIVES Virginia Sullivan Saara Snow brought in a number of new members! to our headquarters, we discover many Eva Dunn-Froebig Another measure of youthful more through social media, and many CYCLOSOURCE energy was the surge in applications buy maps and seek advice to plan their Patrick Finley Geoff McMillion OFFICE MANAGER we received for this year’s Young Adult adventures. But I also say: “We can do Beth Petersen

Bike Travel Scholarships. If you’re not better.” Through scholarships, outreach, BOARD OF DIRECTORS familiar with this program, Adventure and partnerships with the Youth PRESIDENT Wally Werner Cycling is offering two scholarships for Summit and the Association of Outdoor VICE PRESIDENT people ages 18 to 25, providing them Recreation Educators, we’re doing just Donna O’Neal with a free instructional course and, if that. Please feel free to share your ideas, SECRETARY needed, a free bicycle (courtesy of Koga), too, and happy spring cycling! Andy Baur panniers (from Arkel), rack (from Old TREASURER Andy Huppert Man Mountain), and support from Big Jim Sayer BOARD MEMBERS Agnes and bikeflights.com. In return, Executive Director Leigh Carter Todd Copley Jennifer Garst George Mendes Jeff Miller the winners must perform dedicated [email protected] Luis Vargas Mike Dillon Jenny Park

08 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 09 WayPoints News you can use from around the world of bicycle travel edited by Alex Strickland

AMTRAK ROUTES OVERLAID ON ROUTE NETWORK MAP

ADVENTURE Cycling’s with a small pin that can online route overview be clicked to see what map is a popular tool, services that station allowing riders to check offers for cyclists, such in on weather, traffic, and as roll-on or checked — especially important baggage. in the West during late “This new feature summer — the latest fire will make planning data and closures. your bike trip a snap Now that map because in one place (adventurecycling.org/ you can now find out amtrak-map), which can where roll-on service be toggled to show the is available and where entire 45,000-mile-plus there is baggage service. Presently, stations with baggage service A BIKE LEFT BEHIND require bikes to be boxed, but Amtrak will soon have Trusty rig stationed at the end of the world ROBERTSON TOM new baggage with bicycle racks ➺ BACK IN LATE WINTER, you might have noticed that Adventure available, which are Cycling’s Instagram took on a distinctly Patagonian flavor, as long-time being distributed Adventure Cyclist contributor Tom Robertson took the account’s reins to along on their East post photos from his incredible cycling trip to southern Argentina. Coast lines, so But once the jagged peak of Fitz Roy had receded from view and cyclists won’t have Robertson was headed home, he faced a conundrum — how to ship his to deal with boxes long-serving touring bike back to Montana from the remote outpost of at those stations,” said Adventure Calafate, Argentina. network or individual Cycling Travel Initiatives “After thoughtful consideration, I am going to leave my 18-year old routes, also features Director Ginny Sullivan. Cannondale touring bike locked in the courtyard of the Calafate hostel,” an optional overlay to “This is definitely going Robertson wrote. The bike was locked with a combination of “1976” to view Amtrak routes to improve access and commemorate Bikecentennial and Robertson was asking anyone who took around the country to allow more people to use the bike out for a spin to tag it with #endlessbiketour on social media. see how they interface Amtrak to supplement Friends were slated to pick the bike up later this year, but in the with potential bike tours. their bike travel meantime a well-loved Cannondale is ready and waiting. Each station is identified experience.” “If you need it for a bike tour in Patagonia,” Robertson said. “Come get it.”

PeopleForBikes. Pro Founded in 2011, the In previous years, one-day rider spots are PEOPLEFORBIKES cyclocross racer Tim ride has raised more Johnson and others available with a donation Johnson and 25 other than $300,000 for the rode from Boston to to PeopleForBikes. The READIES 5TH riders, including world- national bike nonprofit Washington, DC in the public is invited to pedal champion athletes, PeopleForBikes. The “Ride on Washington.” In the final miles into the FUNDRAISING RIDE journalists, and business ride has also increased 2014, the ride moved to city with the group. RIDE ON CHICAGO executives, will pedal awareness for bike the Midwest and became To learn more is preparing for the through the Midwest from advocacy throughout the “Ride on Chicago.” about the ride, visit annual five-day Minneapolis to Chicago, the bike racing and While the full ride RideOnChicago.org. bike tour benefiting June 2 to June 6. enthusiast communities. is invite-only, limited

10 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 RAGBRAI ROUTE BICYCLING RETURNS TO ROOTS MEANS Adds optional gravel loop BILLIONS IN

➺ THE COUNTRY’S biggest party on wheels is WASHINGTON going back to where it all started back in 1973 as BICYCLE RIDERS the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across spend over $3.1 billion Iowa (RAGBRAI) will launch from Sioux City in the Washington state and end in Davenport for the first time since the economy and outdoor inaugural ride. recreation contributes DES M MOINES REGISTER “It’s kind of a neat thing taking us back to significantly to supporting 1973,” RAGBRAI Director T.J. Juskiewicz told the ride ends in Davenport. RAGBRAI XLIII rural economies statewide, according to the Des Moines Register. (ragbrai.com) runs from July 19 to 25. a new study, Economic With 462 miles and nearly 16,000 feet of Juskiewicz called it “a good old-fashioned Analysis of Outdoor climbing, the 2015 ride falls in the middle of RAGBRAI” — with at least one exciting new Recreation in Washington the road for difficulty, relative to past rides. The twist: an optional gravel loop for cyclists brave State. overnight towns stick slightly north of state enough to add 15 bumpy miles to their trek. The Among the highlights, center for five days before dipping just south special loop — in honor of Steve Hed, a wheel was that bicycling of Interstate Highway 80. About 10,000 riders innovator and founder of Minnesota-based Hed is the number three will spend their overnights in Sioux City, Storm Cycling who died in November — will be tacked recreational activity by Lake, Fort Dodge, Eldora, Cedar Falls, Hiawatha, onto the 68-mile stretch from Storm Lake to total expenditures in and Iowa River Landing/Coralville before Fort Dodge on July 20. Washington state, with over $3.1 billion spent statewide. Bicycle riders’ trip-related expenditures ‘EPIC’ SHORT FILM all — and for the cyclists and Great Parks North account for a whopping who dream of making Route — will resume in 96% of the economic SERIES GOES TRANSAM the quintessential late spring 2015. The impact of bicycling. This cross-country trip,” said first film, documenting means that bicyclists THE SECOND Missoula and climbing director Rachel Stevens. the Northern Tier Route like to contribute to local installment of Adventure over the state line into Filming for the between Whitefish and economies via shopping, Cycling Montana, a the Bitterroot Mountains remaining three Libby, Montana, launched lodgings, and eating. partnership between of northern Idaho. Adventure Cycling in December 2014. “It’s rewarding Adventure Cycling and “The TransAm is such Montana films — Watch the films to see what we at Epic Montana, launched an iconic route both for covering the Great Divide and learn more at Washington Bikes have in March with a look at Adventure Cycling — as Route, adventurecycling.org/ long known,” said Bicycle the most famous long- the route that started it Lewis & Clark Trail, epic. Alliance of Washington distance bicycle touring Executive Director Barb route in the country, the Chamberlain. “Bicycling TransAmerica Trail. means business and can The TransAm takes be a critical economic in a sizeable chunk of driver for small towns. central and southwest Washington state is Montana as the blessed with amazing route emerges from places to ride your bike.” Yellowstone National See the full study Park and slices through here: rco.wa.gov/ an iconic chunk of Big documents/ORTF/ Sky Country before EconomicAnalysis swinging by Adventure OutdoorRec.pdf. Cycling headquarters in RACHEL STEVENS

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 11 2015 Cyclists’ Travel Guide 13 THE DRIVETRAIN DILEMMA 16 PLUS SIZE 17 IN PRAISE OF BIG RUBBER 20 BIKEPACKING GEAR 22 TOURING BIKE TABLE 24 SOLO CYCLING: A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE 26 TOURING THE DEVELOPING WORLD TOM ROBERTSON TOM THE DRIVETRAIN DILEMMA Companies committed to making true touring bikes operate in a niche largely ignored by the Big Two component manufacturers by Dan D’Ambrosio

et’s say you’re the lead bike designer road bike components. future I think you will continue to see for Novara, the bike line offered That means Shimano’s long-cage wider gear ranges being added to our by REI for 32 years – every one of mountain bike derailers, with their road line up and more options for Di2,” them including a dedicated touring ability to handle the big cogs Co- said Shimano American Road Product bike — and you’ve just sat down at Motion wants to use to get at least a Manager Dave Lawrence. Lyour computer to start working on next 20-inch low gear on their touring bikes, Shimano is still making the 9-speed year’s specs. no longer work with Shimano’s road XT rear derailer, even though it quit You will soon be dealing with a bike shifters. making the rest of the group, because familiar frustration — finding the Stehley explained that Shimano there are still companies like Co- components you want for your new used to have a 1-to-1 actuation ratio Motion ordering a lot of them. Indeed touring bike, particularly where the with both types of components, road the 2015 Novara Radonee also uses an drivetrain and gearing are concerned. and mountain, meaning the shifters XT rear derailleur. “Over the years, it has been a bit of pulled the same amount of cable at the “For flat-handlebar-touring cyclists, struggle as the two major component derailer, making them compatible. No Shimano still offers triple chainring manufacturers for the North American more. configurations with wide-ratio cassettes market haven’t put an emphasis on “Now you can’t use a road shifter for incredible range. In , for touring in their product development,” to shift a mountain bike rear derailer,” instance, most touring cyclists use said Greg Golding, lead bike designer Stehley said. “That went away when hardtail or rigid mountain bikes for for Novara. “I won’t name names, but they brought out the 10-speed touring. With that in mind, Shimano both start with an ‘s.’” mountain bike groups in 2010 and 2011. continues to support this segment,” Golding is talking, of course, about They have their reasons. The mountain Lawrence said. Shimano and SRAM, the two dominant bike cassette is shaped differently.” Novara’s Golding has found another component manufacturers. Neither has In Co-Motion’s world, touring way around Shimano’s incompatibility put an emphasis on touring because bikes — including all 10 of the Eugene, issues. The Shimano bar-con shifters the touring market is a niche of a niche, Oregon-based company’s models — Golding wants to use with the XT a concept very familiar to Adventure have drop handlebars. That means road rear derailer on the Randonee are Cycling members. shifters, and that means Stehley had to incompatible, but a small Taiwanese Ian Schmitt, a product manager at find a way around Shimano’s change of company has come up with a solution. Kona bikes, home of the Sutra touring heart. “A company by the name of bike, said it’s hard to make an argument “What we do on our touring bikes Microshift is making bar-con shifters to Shimano or SRAM for an expanded is use an older 9-speed mountain that are compatible with Shimano’s commitment to touring components bike rear derailer with 10-speed road rear mountain bike derailers,” Golding when those companies are looking at shifters,” Stehley said. “The older said. “It’s an interesting little company. the totality of the bike market. 9-speed rear cassette still has the older They found a niche where the big “Drivetrains for touring-specific pull ratio. As long as you’re pulling the players aren’t putting a lot of focus and bikes is an incredibly niche thing,” same amount of cable, it works great.” went after it. We’re using their product Schmitt said. “The market isn’t One option for drop-bar riders who for model year 2015 for a couple of requesting it in enough volume to want a low-geared Shimano drivetrain dedicated touring/adventure bikes.” legitimize drivetrain companies is to ditch the cables and a chunk of Golding said he met representatives listening to those consumers.” money from their wallets and use the from Microshift at a trade show about Zach Stehley, purchasing manager company’s Di2 electronic shifting 18 months ago and ordered some of for Co-Motion , says that not system to pair road shifters with an their shifters to put them through only have Shimano and SRAM paid XTR Di2 mountain bike drivetrain, rigorous testing before using them little attention to the touring market, which could include a triple crankset. on the Randonee and other Novara but Shimano has also made things “Today, we wish that we could make models. worse by doing away with cross- products for every category of rider, Touring bikes are important to REI, compatibility between its mountain and but unfortunately we can’t. In the Golding said, because they represent • cyclists’ travel guide 2015

a unique opportunity for the giant useless rings. The little one is on the would be an 11-38 rear cassette with a outdoor retailer. big side. The middle one is too small double crank in front sporting a 22, 24 “Touring is the one bicycling activity to be a good driving gear all the time. or 26-tooth small ring and a 40-tooth where we really are able to outfit our The big ring — honestly if you’re on big ring. customer from top to bottom,” he said. a tour with 40 pounds of gear, which “With that you start bleeding into “The bike, the clothing, the bag, the I think is a pretty good base line for the mountain bike side of things,” tent, the sleeping bags, and clothes. week-long trips, the 48-11 is a huge gear, Schmitt said. “It’s always about striking We’re the one-stop shop for touring.” completely useless.” a balance.” Schmitt is dumbfounded when he The 2015 Kona Sutra has a Shimano A six-pound maul sees so-called “touring” bikes offered drivetrain with a 28-36-48 triple Ian Schmitt of Kona has a pet peeve with a 50-tooth big ring in front, or crankset in front and an 11-32 9-speed where touring bike components are even a 52-tooth or 53-tooth ring. freewheel, using bar-con shifters. concerned: triple cranks. The default “It’s like the product manager doesn’t “Right now, from our perspective, setup for touring bikes, he said, is a 26- actually want to go touring,” Schmitt that’s the best spec for the drivetrain 36-48 triple crank paired with an 11-32, said. “It’s a longstanding frustration with while maintaining the price point we 11-34 or 12-36 cassette. None of those me, the lack of availability of gearing think is requested for the marketplace,” combinations work particularly well, in that we find to be functional. It doesn’t Schmitt said. his opinion. just extend to touring bikes, or just my The Sutra lists for $1,499. Schmitt “I feel the triple crank is pretty models. It’s an industry-wide problem.” says it does very well for Kona and is useless,” Schmitt said. “It has three Schmitt’s dream set-up for touring the most visited page on the company’s

PINION: A gearbox transmission for your bike

Christoph Lerman and Michael percent compared to Rohloff’s That puts the price of a Pinion — Pinion gearboxes will no Schmitz, co-CEOs of Pinion, met 525 percent. Suffice it to say the which officially has no retail price doubt make their way into as engineering trainees at the P1.18 offers a range of gears to since it is strictly an OEM product the American market as the Porsche research center in Weis- suit any touring rider and coupled — at nearly $2,200. German-engineered alternative sach, Germany. The two young with a Gates belt drive, offers The Pinion is not currently to the Rohloff hub, which has engineers found they were on a quiet, reliable, enclosed drive available in the U.S. Lerman virtually taken over on high-end the same page on many topics, train that requires only an annual said he has had many requests touring bikes like the Co-Motion. including bikes. Why, they won- oil change. from companies that want to “The Rohloff guys have done dered, is there a transmission in Last year, Pinion debuted start selling the a great job in the past years a and in a , but not three new gearboxes, a 12-speed gearbox and Pinion on a bike? set-up for touring and two is currently looking “In a bicycle, there is this 9-speed versions with different for a qualified crappy derailer with exposed gear ratios covering every kind of shifting components which can cycling from mountain bikes to easily be damaged and chain city bikes. These hand-assem- suck and all that stuff,” Lerman bled, precision-made said. “So our idea was to develop a gearbox which is in the middle of the bicycle near the gravity point and which combines the advantages of derailer and inter- gearboxes do not come nal-hub gears.” cheap, with the P1.18 adding By 2010, Lerman and Schmitz about $560 to the price of a were ready to present their first bike with a Rohloff hub, which prototype, an 18-speed gearbox, itself is an option that adds at the Eurobike tradeshow, about $1,600 to the price receiving, Lerman said, an “enor- of a traditionally geared mous response.” Co-Motion Americano. The Pinion gearbox, which requires a purpose-built frame, looks like something off a and they are our benchmark in Porsche, making even an inter- service and distribution partner. reliability,” Lerman said. nally geared Rohloff Speedhub THE PINION Until it finds that partner, Pinion So which should it be? look like old technology. With GEARBOX is only selling sample units to Rohloff or Pinion? 18 gears and an even wider companies like REEB Cycles and “It’s up to the customer as range than Rohloff, the Pinion Paragon Machine Works to be long as he does not decide for a has an overall gear ratio of 636 used on show bikes. derailer!” Lerman said.

14 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 website with the most unique hits. When Stehley thinks about a touring Shimano sets a minimum drive ratio “We sell a pretty solid amount of bike, he thinks about a bike with front for the Alfine of no lower than a 2.3 those bikes every year, it’s not a small and rear racks, loaded with 80 pounds difference between front ring and rear portion of our yearly sales,” he said. of gear. That means a low gear, in cog, which puts the lowest gear possible In the end, Schmitt concedes that Stehley’s mind, of about 20 inches. at 26 or 27 inches. Any lower and you triples, as much as he dislikes them, are “That’s kind of our target,” he says. void the warranty, Stehley said. getting the job done for touring bikes. SRAM’s Lee suggested a traditional “Rohloff’s initial drive ratio gives you “Yes, a six-pound maul will put option to achieve 21 gear inches would a lower gear,” he said. “It’s beefier and finishing nails into your nice cabinetry, be to run the company’s 10-speed better engineered. There’s a reason why but there are better hammers for the DoubleTap road shifters with a 42- it’s more expensive.” job.” 28 mountain bike crankset and 11-36 How expensive? The Americano cassette. Increasingly though, Stehley Rohloff will cost you $5,645, compared How low can you go? sees the German-made Rohloff to $3,995 for the Americano with a What about SRAM’s 1x technology, SpeedHub 14-speed internal hub as traditional derailer drivetrain. with a single chainring up front offered the way to get there. Stehley said Co- “It is certainly a big initial in sizes as low as 26 teeth, coupled with Motion has seen a “surge in popularity” investment, no doubt about that,” he an 11-speed cassette in back ranging for the Rohloff since the company says. “We guarantee our frames for life. from 10 to 42 tooth cogs? began offering it in 2010. When someone buying a Co-Motion is Schmitt did a tour in Wisconsin “We have seen massive growth in buying for life it’s not a big stretch to using a 38-tooth chainring coupled that hub as far as sales,” he said. “It used buy a drivetrain for life. The only thing with an 11-36 cassette, carrying 35 to be we thought we would sell a dozen you have to do to the hub is replace the pounds of gear. in a year. Now in the past year, half the oil every few thousand miles. When you “I honestly never got out touring bikes we sold were sold with the add up servicing you’re not going to do, of the bottom half of the Rohloff hub and belt drive.” at that point it starts to pay off.” cassette — the six Stehley declined to give the actual Co-Motion’s experience with Rohloff hardest gears — it number of units sold because he doesn’t has been one of bulletproof reliability, was pretty flat,” want to share that information with the but Stehley understands that not Schmitt said. “I think competition. Stehley sees many virtues everyone is enamored with the hub. the range is there for in the Rohloff hub. He said he can fine- “It’s a black box technology,” he someone who is a strong tune the gearing by adjusting cog sizes said. “Some people get spooked. Some rider with a relatively light in the rear and ring size in the front for people like to tinker. But look at the flip setup. It wouldn’t be my choice the belt-drive crank. side of that. If you’re a glass-half-full to ride up and over Highway 20 “You want to set that bike really low bike tourist, you just want to buy the into eastern Washington.” for offroad touring on gravel roads and most reliable piece of equipment out Schmitt works in Kona’s offices in you have that option just swapping out there and not worry about throwing a Ferndale, Washington. rings and cogs,” Stehley said. “For paved derailer into the spokes, or dropping a “We have given a good bit of road touring, you want higher ratios. chain.” thought to gearing options for different Rohloff gives you that versatility and is The Rohloff also shines, Stehley riding situations. Our Force CX1 1X far more future-proof than a traditional said, for those customers who buy groupset could be a great option for drive train where you have to worry their touring bikes with S&S couplers light touring with a 38 tooth CX1 about Shimano discontinuing its wide- so they can pack them up for flying, crankset paired with the new PG range derailers, etc.” because the belt-drive is grease-free 1170 11-36 cassette,” said SRAM Road Rohloff-equipped touring bikes and therefore clean and easy to stuff PR Content Manager Dan Lee. “For come stock from Co-Motion with a low into the travel case. heavily-loaded touring, especially gear of around 18 or 19 inches, and a Back at Kona, Ian Schmitt leaves us in hilly terrain, it’s worth noting high gear of 91 or 92 inches, achieved with a cryptic glimpse into the future that SRAM’s mountain and road with a 50-tooth chainring in front for touring bike componentry, declining components are cross compatible.” and a 20-tooth cog in back. Shimano’s to elaborate for now. Zach Stehley of Co-Motion concurs alternative — the Alfine 11-speed “The future of touring bikes is super with Schmitt that when it comes to internal hub — is fine for medium- exciting,” he says. “There are a lot of touring bikes, it’s all about low gears. duty touring bikes like Co-Motion’s things coming down the pike that will “We also don’t want to give up the Cascadia, Stehley said, but not fully start changing the way people tour.” high range, but our philosophy is get loaded globetrotting. low enough to get up hills,” Stehley “The Shimano Alfine does not have Contributing writer Dan D’Ambrosio lives in said. “If you run out of gears on a a reputation for durability and is very Vermont, where he is a business reporter for the Burlington Free Press. downhill you can always coast.” difficult to gear low for touring,” he said.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 15 • cyclists’ travel guide 2015 PLUS SIZE 29+ platform finds fans among bikepackers

by Casey Greene

s you may have discovered in the previous few pages of this issue, it’s not every day that the great- er cycling industry creates some- thing that changes the game for Abicycle travelers, but occasionally it happens. The 29+ mountain bike plat- form has come out of nowhere — i.e. the minds of a certain few people at es jump to 2.8-3.0 inches, and 45mm- Quality Bicycle Products (QBP) — to 52mm. THE BIKES: all but dominate the rapidly growing It’s big, but not too big. It’s not Surly Krampus (below), surly off-pavement bikepacking market. a fat bike. 10 years ago the Surly bikes.com/bikes/krampus This new tire size is exactly what it Pugsley — with its 26-inch wheels and The first 29+ bike ever produced is sounds like: something straight out 3.8-inch tires — was released to the still a solid choice. It’s made from of a monster truck rally. To be a tad masses heralding the current golden that burly Surly steel we all love, more specific, it’s a 29-inch wheel age of fat biking. The goal of the and feels at home on buff single- with an insanely voluptuous tire on Pugsley was to make riding possible track trails. A size medium with a it. Contemporary mountain bike in previously unrideable conditions 1x10 drivetrain comes in at around tires range from 1.9-2.4 inches in size, 31 lbs. and will set you back only with corresponding rim widths of CONTINUED ON PAGE 18 $1,875. Another 29+ Surly offering, 25mm-35mm. Add a “+” and those siz- the ECR, is better for dirt roads and expeditions, and features just about every rack/bottle/cage mounting point one could wish for. That being said, we still prefer the Krampus.

Carver Gnarvester (above), carverbikes.com/bikes/titanium -gnarvester This is the choice bike right now in the 29+ market. The shorter chainstays give the Gnarvester an all-around snappy feel. A 1x11 drivetrain equipped, 18-in. titanium model came in at just under 26 lbs., and $3,799.95. Yes, you get what you pay for, but Carver also has plans for an aluminum Gnarvester frame which will be a bit heavier than the Titanium version, but light- er and cheaper than the Krampus frame!

16 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 IN PRAISE OF BIG RUBBER A chat with wide-tire evangelist Jeff Jones

by Alex Strickland

eff Jones has always been a guy who zigged as the industry zagged, churning out beautiful — if non- traditional-looking — frames for his cult-like following from his JMedford, Oregon, shop. But with the rise of fat bikes, the 29+ platform and other evangelists for wider tires (such as Bicycle Quarterly editor and Adventure Cyclist contributor Jan Heine), the industry seems to be tacking back toward Jones. What they find when they get there won’t surprise longtime fans of Jones Bikes’ blend of stability and quickness, and the company’s namesake will be there with open arms. “People rode fat bikes with rigid frames and discovered that fat tires are not as slow as they thought. Plus they realized they don’t need suspension,” he said. “This is a moment of a maturity for bikes. We’ve been riding the tightest wheelbases forever — we need the shortest chainstays, lightest frames, stiffest, twitchiest, etc. To ride a bike across the country in a straight line with the tightest wheelbase possible? What are we thinking?” With the launch of his new Plus, Jones has taken the 29+ platform to it’s longest implementation yet, using

COURTESY JEFF JONES JEFF COURTESY 19-inch chainstays and a 76mm fork offset to stretch the bike’s wheelbase to nearly World Cup downhill bike the rubber meets the road or trail all the time, it won’t show you the true length. that really gets Jones going and efficiency. If you actually test on a “If you look at the history of bikes, has the framebuilder hopping up gravel road with a rider, you really see you see those same characteristics from to the pulpit to preach against the the efficiencies,” he said. “I 100 percent when they were riding cross country prevalence of skinny tires in the believe that for all the people riding before roads were paved and before the name of efficiency and speed. around on 700c x 45mm tires, if we popularity of racing. Forget all logic, “We’ve known this for a long time, could magically make their bikes take the ride is really good,” Jones said. but the cycling psyche is waking (Schwalbe) Supermotos or Big Apples Geometry makes a huge up to the fact that fat tires are not and air them up right, they’d be having difference, no doubt, but it’s where inefficient. If you test things on a drum the best ride of their lives.”

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 17 • cyclists’ travel guide 2015

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 PLUS SIZE

like packed snow or sand. The worst of the worst. What tires have done for those extreme conditions is incredible, but something was missing when you put those same tires on non-extreme off-road terrain. On summertime singletrack and dirt roads, the fat bike tire has a tendency to do weird things — like self-steer at the wrong time — causing the rider to second guess if they are in control of the bike. They also do some really obvious things, like roll slower because of their heft. QBP, Surly’s parent company, took a long hard look at this situation — and knowing them, drank a few pints and grew a few beards — and then took an even harder look at it. With the establishment of even wider 26x5.0-inch tires in the years after the Pugsley was released, the logical end had been established. The response came in 2013 when QBP released the Surly Krampus, the first bike specifically designed around the 29+ platform. Mountain bikers called it a fat bike. Fat bikers labeled it a mountain bike. Road bikers didn’t care one way or the other. No one seemed to really pin down what this new tire platform offered. One small segment who latched on from the start were bicycle travelers. Legendary southwest adventurer Steve “Doom” Fassbinder saw potential from the beginning. “Call it what you will, it’s the bike I’ve been dreaming about for over a decade. Basically, fat bikes are slower and heavier than the new Krampus. The Krampus gets up to speed faster than a fat bike, and likes to stay there, especially in sandy soft conditions,” he said. “If your route takes you through long stretches of hard pack or even pavement you will be hating a fat bike. Got a Krampus? No problem. Just top off the psi and you’ll be flying.” As consumers, we asked for perfection in product. We want it all, even though we know we can’t have

18 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 it. Sacrifices have to be made. For mountain bike tourists, that means balancing durability, versatility, weight, comfort, performance, and price point. And jeez, that’s a lot. So, listen up. I’m not going to sugar coat this: if you’re coming from a skinnier tire platform, the weight of 29+ will be noticeable. And if you’re coming from a skinnier tire full-suspension model, the lack of suspension will be apparent. There is no doubt about either, but what is shocking is how little of both you give up — especially with the two fully rigid models featured on page 16 — and what you gain is much more significant: traction and stability. There’s a singletrack climb just north of Missoula in the Rattlesnake National Recreation Area. It’s called the Wallman Trail, and it’s brutal. It’s one of those climbs that makes you stand up and pedal, forcing your weight forward like a grunting gorilla trying oh-so-hard to balance like a ballerina. All the while, the loose trail is bribing your rear wheel to spin out. I had never been able to ride this trail without dismounting before throwing my leg over a 29+ bike. The width of the tire and rim combined with lower tire pressure to allow the rubber to conform to the surface helps grab every last ounce of traction. This not only allowed me ride the trail, but exert less energy. Shockingly less. These tires like to climb, no doubt, but they really come into their own when pointed downhill. Combine a long top tube and slacked-out head tube with the subtle suspension characteristics of a wide footprint, and the stability of the 29+ platform is undeniably confidence inspiring. These horses were born to run, ramble, and huck — especially with a full bikepacking kit.

Casey Greene is an Adventure Cycling Association cartographer and the developer of the Idaho Hot Spring Mountain Bike Route, which can be found at adventurecycling.org/routes.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 19 • cyclists’ travel guide 2015 CASEEY GREENE

GEARED UP: New Options for rider and bike

FIVE TEN AESCENT APPROACH SHOES BB COMPATIBILITY OPTIONS IMPROVE Crank makers say their cranks only work with their BBs, but off the record they expect For those of us that like to ride flat pedals for Would you like to swap a BB30 crank from they could work with other BB30 cranks. our adventures, finding footwear that com- a newer bike to an older bike to see what Aftermarket supplier (endurofork bines grip on the pedal, a 1x drivetrain rides like on old faithful? Or seals.com) offers a whole line of BSA30 and comfort on and off would you like to take advantage of all the Italian30 options, priced from $90 to $199, the bike, and a chainring options of a BB30 crank in your depending on quality of bearing selected. stiff enough single-speed’s eccentric? Enduro’s Matt Harvey says spindle length sole is a big It’s now possible as can differ between models but this is accom- task. crank makers and modated with shims that ship with BSA30 Options aftermarket bottom BBs. “Our BSA30 bottom brackets work with and bracket suppliers cranks from Race Face, Rotor, Quarq, FSA opinions offer BSA treaded and e*thirteen,” Harvey said. abound with bottom bracket Be aware that 30mm cranks from SRAM recommenda- cups sized to accept and Praxis neck down to 28mm on the non- tions across the oversize 30mm crank drive side of the spindle and are not compat- web from cycling-spe- spindles. Before these ible with BSA30 BBs. Nor will proprietary cific kicks to Crocs. As a fairly recent convert bottom brackets hit the market, BB30 cranks 30mm cranks like those from Cannondale to flat pedals, I first tried running shoes but — and their 30mm spindles ­­— were found and Specialized, work with BSA30 BBs. had issues with the wide heels clipping the on carbon and alloy bikes sporting oversized SRAM does not offer BSA threaded cups for cranks and chainstays. bottom bracket shells. its 30mm cranks, though Praxis does. I soon learned of Five Ten, a compa- The motivation for these threaded 30mm Access to oversize ny known for its rock climbing shoes and bottom brackets, nicknamed BSA30, is not cranks offers various pioneering rubber compounds. Since the to allow riders of older options to riders late 1990s, Five Ten has developed shoes bikes access to new of traditionally for , both for clipless pedals style cranks, but threaded bikes. and flats. A couple years ago, I bought a pair because perfor- For one it allows of Freeriders for my mountain bike rides and mance of the a rider the ability loved the sticky sole and comfort. But the oversize bottom to try a new crank, weight and materials meant that they were bracket shells most of which come slow to dry after a creek crossing, something is less than with 30mm spindles. less than ideal for multi-day adventures. stellar. Single-speed riders, Looking for a lighter option that would dry Many whose eccentrics are usually BSA treaded, more quickly in the Five Ten line, the Aescent press- can benefit from the stiffer oversize spindle (fiveten.com, $110) stood out. While not fit BB30 of a BB30 crank when they stomp up the technically a shoe designed for cycling, the bottom brackets steep. And direct-mount cranks, those mesh upper and Stealth MI6 outsole seemed spin in the shell, creak, and alignment toler- with one-piece chainring spiders, have like a good bet. And it has delivered exactly ances are off. So bike brands are returning to gearing unlimited by bolt-circle concerns. what I hoped it would. traditional threaded BB shells on some mod- Direct-mount cranks also accept two-ring I like the casual, sneaker look of them, els and they need threaded bottom brackets spiders so it’s easy to swap a crank to anoth- the lighter materials, and the Stealth MI6 that work with new cranks. er bike for 2-by options. sole has provided great grip on all the pedals BSA30s, and an Italian threaded version With bikes coming to market that accept I use. The fit is roomier than most cycling named Italian30, work just like threaded 3-inch wide tires, crank makers are moving shoes, but I appreciate the ability to wear external cup 24mm BBs for Shimano Hol- chainring center lines out 3mm or so to get thicker socks or pull on waterproof socks for lowtech-compatible cranks. But because the the chain by the fatter tire. Having chain-ring wet days. BSA30 bearings are larger, oversize tools centerline options can solve other issues If your search for bikepacking or flat pedal might be needed for installation. with fender, tire or frame clearance. —Matt touring shoes had lead to dead ends, give the BSA30s from Enduro, e*thirteen, FSA, Wiebe Five Ten Aescents a look. —Nick Legan Race Face, and Rotor are on the market now.

20 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 21 • cyclists’ travel guide 2015

We’ve tried to limit this table to touring, expedition, Travel Bikes for Your Consideration trekking, and bikepacking bikes — not bikes that might make good travel bikes. Many of the bikes in this table come in several configurations, including custom versions, with varying costs associated. No 611 Bicycle Company Hand- Co-Motion Cycles Cascadia, Gunnar Bikes Grand Tour, made Touring model (from Americano, Pangea, Divide, Grand Disc, and 26-inch Rock prices reflect shipping costs. $2450). sixelevenbicycleco. and Siskiyou (from $3925, Tour (Frame: from $1050: com, 540.929.0611 frame $1965). 26-in. and frame and fork from $1350). Motobecane Gran Tourismo Gates/Rohloff options Rohloff and S&S coupler KHS TR 101 ($1099). ($699). bikesdirect.com/ Ahearne Cycles Custom available. co-motion.com, options also available. khsbicycles.com/bikes/tr- products/motobecane/ Touring, Outback 650b Off- 866.282.6336 gunnarbikes.com, 101-15, 310.632.7173 x 255 gran_turismo.htm Road, and 650b Light Touring 262.534.4190 (from $2250 Custom racks: Cyfac RandoNerv ($2600); Koga Vast selection of Mt. Airy Bicycles Carries from $250). ahearnecycles. Vintage ($3000); Horizon Heart of Steel Bicycles by build-your-own touring/ many hard-to-find and classic com, 503.473.2102 ($6600), Paris-Pekin ($2500). Georgina Terry Wom- trekking bikes, including the touring models. bike123. Custom available for all mod- en’s-specific Coto Doñana Worldtraveller (26”) and com, 410.795.2929 Bianchi Lupo ($1050), Volpe els. cyfac.fr, 610.896.0388 Tour ($3500); Vagabond Globetraveller (28”) (from ($1300), and Volpe Disc ($3850). georgenaterry.com, €1,699), koga-signature.com Naked Bicycles Grand ($1500). bianchiusa.com/ offers 802.861.7627 Adventure Basic ($1595); bikes/road/all-road various touring models from Kona Sutra (with racks: Americano ($2495); Globe- the Galaxy (£600) to Ultra Hunter Cycles Custom $1499); Rove ($1699) kona trotter ($2295; Stainless: Bike Friday 8 touring Galaxy Titanium (£2800). touring frames (Frames: TIG world.com/sutra.cfm and $3295); Deutsche (Rohloff: models including New World Women’s-specific models welded: from $1750; Fillet konaworld.com/rove.cfm $3995). Custom also avail- InfinityTour, Silk, New World available. dawescycles. brazed: from $2250. Forks: able. timetogetnaked.com, Tourist (from $849). bikefri com/product-category/ from $325. Rack from $350 Kross Offers 10 touring/trek- 250.285.3181 day.com/bicycles/touring, bikes/2014-bikes-touring per rack). Contact for com- king models (all models 1520 800.777.0258 plete bike prices. PLN and up). kross.pl/en/ Nashbar TR-1 Touring Devinci Caribou ($1400). huntercycles.com bikes/tour, 029 722 44 45. Bike ($750). nashbar.com, Bilenky Cycle Works devinci.com/bikes/ 800.627.4227 Midlands (Deluxe: $3700; Sig- scategory_128, 888.338.4624 idworx Bikes A variety of Littleford Bicycles custom nature: call for price), Tourlite trekking bikes with Gates/ touring bikes (Standard Norco Cabot 1 & 2 ($860- (Deluxe: $3545; Signature: Donkelope Bikes custom Rohloff and Pinion options Tourer: $3450, Classic Tourer: $1215). norco.com/bikes/ call for price). Add S&S Cou- travel bikes (Frame from (from $3400). idworx-bikes. $4880, Sport Tourer: $5225, bikes/road/touring plers for $975. bilenky.com, $1550; Fork from $300) de, +49 228 184700. Site in Expedition Rig: $5975. Frame 215.329.4744 donkelopebikes.com, German sets (from $2400) and cus- Novara by REI Safari 360.920.0484 tom racks (from $350). S&S ($1099), Mazama ($1099), Black Sheep Bikes offers Independent Fabrication couplers optional. littleford Randonee ($1199), and light many models with bike travel Elephant Bikes National Independence touring and bicycles.com, 503.922.1934 touring Verita ($1299). rei. in mind. Contact for current Forest Explorer (NFE: Frame the Club Racer light-touring com/novara, 800-426-4840 pricing. blacksheepbikes. & Fork: $1285) elephant- frame sets (steel $2295; Lynskey Vialé (from $1695) com, 970.218.5952 bikes.com/stock titanium $4095) ifbikes.com, and Backroad (from $3395). Opus Legato ($1570), Largo 603.292.5673 Custom also available. No- ($1350). opusbike.com/ Boo Bicycles Boo Touring Ellis Cycles Voyager Tour mad titanium rear rack ($299) en/bikes/road/touring, bamboo frame set with (from $4000). elliscycles. Innerlight Cycles Custom and Caddy titanium front rack 514.332.1320 integrated rear rack ($3995). com/models_pricing.html, Touring H1 and 26-in. H2. ($199). lynskeyperformance. boobicycles.com/bikes/ 262.442.6639 (Email for prices: kimo@ com, 423.499.5815 offers boo-touring, 970.444.2228 innerlightcycles.com). inner the ultra-classic Clubman English Cycles Hand-built lightcycles.com/hybrid.htm, MTB Cycletech Amar and Country ($2695; frame & fork: BreadWinner Cycles travel bikes (from $2650) 530.795.3454 Papalagi series (Contact for $1495). britishbicycle.com/ Aufderheide (Frame & fork: englishcycles.com/cat/ pricing), mtbcycletech.com, pashley-cycles and pashley. $2145; Complete bike: $5555) custombikes/touring-bikes, Ira Ryan Cycles Hand-built +41 44 876 5020 co.uk, 602.903.7852 breadwinnercycles.com/ 541.683.3556 touring model (Frame: $2900; products/aufderheide, Fork: $575) iraryancycles.com/ MAP (Mitch Pryor) Bicycles Pereira Cycles Touring and 503.810.2504 Eriksen Cycles Hand-built bikes/tour, 503.810.2504 Custom Randonneur Project Randonneuring bikes (from touring bikes (from $3300). bike (from $4000). mapbi $3900; frame & fork: $2700). Brodie Argus ($1299); Elan kenteriksen.com/bikes/ Jamis Bicycles Aurora cycles.com, 503.566.5270 pereiracycles.com/touring. ($1649). brodiebikes.com, road, 970.879.8484 ($939), Aurora Elite ($1649), php, 503.333.5043 604.325.2033 Bosanova ($1199). jamis Marinoni Tourismo Fuji Touring ($739). fujibikes. bikes.com/usa/adventure. ($2100-$2700) and Tourismo Peter Mooney Cycles/ Bruce Gordon Hand-built com/bike/details/touring, html, 800.222.0570 Extreme ($2300-$2900). Belmont Wheelworks Rock ‘n Road Tour (with racks 800.631.8474 marinoni.qc.ca/html/Turis Touring and Randonneur $3699. Custom options also Jeff Jones Bicycles Stock mo.html, 450.471.7133 (Frame & fork from $2995). available). bgcycles.com, Gallus Cycles Adventure and custom adventure peter-mooney.com, 707.762.5601 Bike (Fillet: $2800, Lugged: bicycles and frames (Frames Moots Routt (Frame: $3325; 617.489.3577 $3000). galluscycles. from $975; Complete Jones frame & fork: $3785-$3895) Cinelli Bootleg Hobo ($1849). com/adventure_a.html, Plus: $3785) jonesbikes.com, and Routt 45 (Frame: $3390; Rando Cycles Camper store.cinelli-usa.com/c/ 817.757.2944 541.535.2034 frame & fork: $3850-$3960). (€1200), Globe-Trotter complete-bicycles_boot moots.com/our-bike/ (€1999), Tourer (€1999). leg-hobo, 505.216.3210 Gilles Berthoud Highly-cus- J.P. Weigle Classic randon- cross/routt-45/overview, rando-cycles.com, +33 01 43 tomizable 26-inch and 700C neur bikes ($8000-$12000; 970.879.1676 41 18 10. Site in French. steel touring bikes (1880€ 3-year waiting period). class and up). gillesberthoud.fr/ icrendezvous.com/USA/ anglais, +33 385 51 46 46 weigle_jp.htm, 860.434.0700

22 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 Raleigh Bicycles Salsa Vaya Travel ($3950; Velotraum Offers 11 trekking Clubman Disc ($1100), frame set: $2199); Vaya 2 models (From €3400). Sojourn ($1300), Tamland ($1950; frameset: $750); Vaya velotraum.de/system/ ($1500): raleighusa.com, 3 ($1499); Fargo (titanium velotraum-konzept, telefax: 800.222.5527 complete: $4299; frameset: (07033) 81505. Site in $2199). Fargo 2 ($2299; German Rawland Nordavinden frame Suspension $2499; frameset set (from $725) and Ravn $699); Fargo 3 ($1699). salsa Velo Orange Framesets and (available in May from $4000) cycles.com, 877.668.6223 build kits: Campeur (from rawlandcycles.com $520); Pass Hunter (from GREG SIPLE Santos Travelmaster Series $540); Polyvalent MKIII (from Redline Metro Sport ($850) (from $1449); Trekking Series Steelman Cycles Steel and Ti Cycles Steilacoom/Ren $570); Camargue (from and Classic ($1150) redline (from $1639). santosbikes. custom touring bikes (from Omen ($1895). Also offers $620) velo-orange.com bicycles.com/bikes/2014- com, +31(0)252 426123 $2750). steelmancycles. custom steel and titanium metro-classic com, 650.364.3939 touring bikes. ticycles.com/ Waterford Cycles Legacy Seven Cycles Expat S (from TCF/cross-touring.html, models include Adventure Rennstahl Kette 28 (€3590) $4958); Expat SL (from Surly Long-Haul Trucker 503.621.9670 Cycle and other touring rennstahl-bikes.de/kette.html $5668) sevencycles.com, (from $1300; Frame: $470; bikes (from $1500 frame; 617.923.7774 Deluxe frame: $999); Disc Trek 520 ($1320), 520 Disc $375 fork). Call for custom Bikes Tour Trucker (from $1500), ($1430), 720 Disc ($1980), pricing. waterfordbikes.com, (£549); Voyage (£800); Pan- Soma Fabrications Saga Cross-Check (frame: $480, and 920 Disc ($2090). 262.534.4190 orama (£1200); Expedition Touring (from $1800; frame & bike: $1250), Travelers Check trekbikes.com, 800.585.8735 (£900); Panorama Deluxe fork $500); Saga Disc (frame ($1100); Big Dummy (from Windsor Bicycles The (£1700) ridgeback.co.uk & fork $569) Grand Randon- $1999; frame: $950) and True North Cycles 700C, Tourist ($1,495). windsor neur (from $1449; frameset the 26-in. Troll (from $1450; 650b, and 26-in. models from bicycles.com Rivendell Bicycle Works $490); Double Cross (from frame: $525); ECR (from expedition to light touring Atlantis (frame, fork, & $1349; frameset $420); Dou- $2175); World Troller (coming with many options available World Randonneur Deccan, headset $2300), Hunqapillar, ble Cross Disc (from $1725; in 2015). surlybikes.com, (Framesets from $1600 CAD. Anatolia, Patagonia, and The a touring-trail bike (frame, frameset $450); 650b B-Side 877.743.3191 Complete bikes from $3,000 Gibb (from $A2299). vivente fork & headset $2000); and Juice 29er (from $490) CAD). truenorthcycles.com, bikes.com custom touring frames somafab.com Sycip Designs 700C, 650b, 519.585.0600 ($3,500 and up). rivbike.com, and 26-in. custom builds (Tig vsf Fahrradmanufaktur 800.345.3918 Spa Cycles Steel Tourer welds from $1800. Fillet and Van Nicholas Pioneer, Ama- Numerous Trekking (18) and (£945), Ti Tourer (£1580), lugged also availabe). sycip. zon, Amazon Ladies, and Yukon Expedition (6) models (from Roberts Cycles offers the Ti Adventure (£1600). com, 707.295.3131 in various configurations, in- €600 to €3300). Clubman (£1295), Transcon- spacycles.co.uk/products. cluding Gates/Rohloff. (Frames fahrradmanufaktur.de tinental (£1395), Cumbria php?plid=m1b17s0p0 Thorn Cycles Expedition No- from €1299; Complete bikes (£1395), Roughstuff (£1395), mad (£2269); Raven (£2169); from €2475) vannicholas. YIPsan Bicycles Handbuilt and Women’s Compact Tour Specialized AWOL ($1350); Sherpa (£1299); Mercury com/touring/5/allbikes.aspx, lugged and fillet brazed (£1350). robertscycles.com, AWOL Comp ($1950; (£2569). (Editor’s note: All +31 (0) 186-657718 adventure bikes (from +44 (0)20-8684 3370 frameset $700), AWOL Elite models can be modified to your $2200). yipsanbicycles.com, ($1550) specialized.com/ heart’s content. The amount Vanilla Bicycles Touring 970.672.0168 Rodriguez Bicycles Rainier us/en/bikes/road/awol, of information online for each and Randonee models (rom light tourer (from $1999); 877.808.8154 model is mind-blowingly amaz- $3400). Current wait time is Note: The July issue ing). thorncycles.co.uk “several” years. vanilla Adventure (from $2599); the of Adventure Cyclist Willie Weir co-designed UTB Spectrum Steel and titanium bicycles.com, 503.233.2453 (Ultimate Touring Bike from custom touring bikes (Steel Tout Terrain Offers 13 will cover non-diamond $2699); High-Roller Tour from $3000; Ti from $4100). trekking and expedition Velosmith Jota ($A6360), frame bicycles and ($4799); S&S-equipped and spectrum-cycles.com. models including the Pana- Cyclotouriste ($A4650), and will contain a table of custom models with Rohloff 610.398.1986 mericana, Grand Route XCR, Great Southern ($A4650). tandems, recumbents, (from $3299). rodcycle.com, and Silkroad (from €1199). Custom also. Available in 206.527.4822 en.tout-terrain.de, +49 761 Australia only. velosmith. folding bikes, and more. 20551000 com.au/cyclotouriste.html, +61 (0)3 6266 4582

READY FOR ADVENTURE Tange Prestige CrMo Andrew of Bedrock Bags chose a SOMA B-SIDE for his bike packing rig. The 650b wheels gave him more space to put his bags. The sliding dropouts allow him to run it single speed if his derailleur even conked out on a trip. Plus he wanted a bike that could turn on a dime and manual off a drop with out feeling like a tobaggan on his local singletrack rides.

Steel frames for commuting, centuries, singletrack and adventure. www.somafab.com

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 23 • cyclists’ travel guide 2015 SOLO CYCLING: A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE All the questions you wanted to ask

by Steph Mann

hether you are thinking of and the thought of it isn’t appealing to threatening and are often welcomed taking your first-ever tour or many women. It could, however, end up wherever they go. If you are traveling in have a few under your belt, it being your best friend after hours in the your native country, you’ll be familiar can never hurt to have more saddle. with the culture and language. Traveling information or brush up on • Padded, cycling-specific shorts abroad is a different matter. It’s worth Wyour skills. are vital. They can be the difference taking a letter introducing yourself that The joy of touring is in the journey between smiling all the way and wincing you can show to locals in their own and not just the ending. The thrill of in pain if you don’t wear them. Pack your language. It helps them know who you the open road before you is the ultimate favorites and ride happy. are and what you are doing. freedom, and with a little planning and • block is often overlooked, but Don’t be afraid to ask for help if you knowledge, you can have the trip of a getting sunburned can really ruin your need it. If you are lost, ask for directions. lifetime — nothing but you and your trip. If you don’t speak the language, find bike (oh, and the panniers filled with a hotel — reception staff often speak everything you could need) and the Where will I ride? English. road ahead. Of course, as women, there Check the route you planned to Many people are lovely, and you may can be more hazards to watch out for. make sure it’s suitable for a loaded find yourself invited to spend the night in Depending on where you travel, there bike. It’s worth bearing in mind that other people’s homes. Listen to your gut. may be rules on how you can dress and high-interest tourist spots (like national If it feels wrong, politely decline and go it may not be advisable to travel alone parks and big landmarks) can be full on your way. However, if your would-be at all. Traveling alone as a woman can of traffic and not great fun by bike. hosts seem genuine, stays like this are a present problems, but don’t let fear make There are loads of resources out there great way to enhance your journey and you miss the adventure of a lifetime. worth looking at such as local tourist immerse yourself in the community for boards and agencies, organizations a night. Is my bike good enough or do I need a like Adventure Cycling and EuroVelo, As a woman traveling alone or in new one? or asking online forums where locals a group, you may want to pick your Depending on your trip length, you can really help you out. I have a local destination a little more carefully. might get away with using your current Facebook group who cycle locally every Although most countries are welcoming, bike — that’s if your trip is short or week and they put me in touch with there are a few where being a lone you plan to do short daily distances. other groups who I contact before woman on a bike is probably not Otherwise, you might want a touring- traveling. People have been keen to advisable. Certain places in India and specific bike. Touring bikes are built to help and having these contacts before Africa have a higher-than-average be stronger and carry more weight. If and during a tour is really useful. kidnapping and abuse rate for women. you are taking your normal bike, take it Knowing people I had spoken to a However, with some tips and vigilance, to a good bike shop and get it serviced. couple months prior really helped, as you’ll still have the opportunity to visit all Tell the mechanic your plans and ask they were able to point me in the right the places you want to go. them to replace any worn-out cables, direction of cheap, friendly places to Spend time reading up on customs brake pads, and so on. If you are buying stay. I found the security of this instant and always have your eyes wide open new, shop around and don’t buy the first network particularly useful as a lone and be prepared with everything you bike you see. woman traveler. Being so connected adds have learned. Know which areas to avoid an extra element to feeling safe. I could before you go or ask locally for advice. What do I pack? be alone when I wanted or be in touch Make sure you read up about dress codes. You know the basics — water bottles, with people I had met or would meet. Not every culture approves of women tool kit, spare tubes, and camping gear — showing much flesh or an uncovered but here are a few easy-to-miss favorites: Is it safe to travel alone? • Chamois cream is a great invention, Of course! (Usually.) Cyclists are not CONTINUED ON PAGE 65

24 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 TK

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 25 • cyclists’ travel guide 2015 TOURING THE DEVELOPING WORLD Be prepared for the unknown

by Damian Antonio

icycle travel in the developing world brings with it a unique set of challenges not typically faced back home. Considering the number of amazing touring destinations Bthat are part of this world — including massive swaths of South America, Asia, and Africa — it is essential that bicycle tourists learn to navigate and deal with these obstacles. Otherwise, they risk missing out on a wealth of incredible touring experiences. So what are these unique challenges? And what can you do to deal with and embrace them rather than be intimidated by them?

Chaotic Traffic We’ve all seen the YouTube videos of some chaotic city in India — cars and trucks, and bicycles, pedestrians, camels, and cows all

jostling for space. There are no ANTONIO DAMIAN discernible road rules. Each vehicle The author concentrates on a roadside repair in rural India. does whatever it has to do to get to where it is going. spare parts are not. Fortunately, I had my trusty hunk of Well, this is not just one anomalous During my two-year tour across rubber. city in India; it is almost every city and Asia, I lugged an expensive and heavy In much of the developing world, is certainly not unique to India. foldable tire with me in case of an spare parts that can’t be found on a $25 Although people often remark that emergency. I had heard that finding Chinese bike can’t be found at all. This “somehow the traffic just seems to replacement 700C tires would be means that you need to keep your bike work,” it really doesn’t — unless you difficult. After a year and a half, having as simple as possible (no hydraulic disc consider 650 road deaths per day to be replaced my tires several times in brakes), carry parts and tools that you “working.” The roads are a dangerous various major cities, I was still carrying won’t be able to source locally (such as place to be, particularly for cyclists and this annoying hunk of rubber. I cursed 700C wheel spokes), and be prepared pedestrians. it for taking up precious pannier space, to get creative (by crafting new parts The best advice is to look out for and I frequently threatened to throw it solely out of duct tape). yourself because nobody else will. Take overboard. If all that fails, it helps to have a it slow, spend as little time as possible Then one day, while riding through friend back home who can act as your cycling in high-density cities and towns, the deserts of Rajasthan in northwest lifeline and send over that new nine- and even though no one else does, wear India, the sidewall of my tire blew out, speed cassette after you’ve chewed up a helmet! rendering it virtually irreparable. There the old one. were no options other than 26-inch Lack of Spare Parts replacements for hundreds of miles in Language Barriers Although bicycles are universal, every direction. The inability to speak or understand

26 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 a language intimidates travelers more amazement, some take the opportunity some of these corrupt countries, you than anything else. What if I order the to politely practice their limited don’t know who to complain to, you wrong dish? What if I ask for a hotel English, and some can’t help but touch can’t know if they’ll even care, or even and they send me to a whorehouse? (my hairy legs were of particular steal the rest of your money. What if I accidentally agree to marry interest to the largely hairless This can be extremely unsettling, someone’s daughter? The possibility of Southeast Asians). and while it’s important to keep in looking like an idiot sends chills down You can stare back, you can ignore mind that the vast majority of people peoples’ spines. the locals, you can get angry with them, intend you no harm, you also need to Do not fret. I have made all of these or you can chat with them. Travel long remember to keep your guard up at mistakes during my travels, but I have enough and you’ll probably do all four. all times. Be wary of overt displays of yet to accidentally marry someone’s friendliness, don’t get too inebriated daughter. I have been served plenty of Vulnerability with a bunch of people you’ve just met, unrecognizable meals, though. In many countries in the developing downplay your wealth, and reserve your Even with zero knowledge of the world, you may feel like the new pooch trust. local language, basic communication at the dog park. You’re not sure of the This may not sound like the free- is not as difficult as you might think. rules or the social hierarchy, and you spirited, free-lovin’ journey you Sure, you can’t have an in-depth don’t know who’s friend and who’s your envisioned, but it’s important to find a discussion about the reasons for the foe. healthy balance between blocking ill coup in Thailand or the rise in Ugandan In other words, you can feel will and allowing the good in. chicken prices, but you can get by. vulnerable — and for good reason. Learn 20 basic phrases and numbers You probably stick out like a fat man Corruption one to 100 and you’ll do much better riding the Tour de , and the fact While we in the West despise than get by. You’ll connect with the that you’re a Westerner means you’re corruption (at least in theory), in many locals, which is what intrepid travel is automatically rich. Furthermore, if all about. someone does take advantage of you in CONTINUED ON PAGE 65 The best way to learn is to write down the most important phrases — “hello,” “how much?” “where am I?” “help,” etc. — and put them in a clear map holder on your handlebar bag. That way you can practice while you ride and be ready to chat when you stop.

Celebrity Status Ever want to be a celebrity? Well, you can experience a taste of it by touring through the developing world. Unfortunately, it’s the part that most celebrities seem to hate: the complete inability to remain anonymous. The insular nature of some regional areas is magnified in the developing world. Locals often do not have the means or inclination to travel — either physically or virtually via the Internet. In fact, it is not uncommon to meet villagers who have never wandered farther than the next town. Depending on how far off the beaten path you wander, you may well be the only Westerner the locals have ever seen. As with all celebrity sightings, some people stare with slack-jawed

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 27 Time well spent

Feel the wind breeze by while exploring Oregon’s Washington County: The Tualatin Valley on two wheels. Discover the Banks • Beaverton • Chehalem Mountains • Cornelius • Durham • Forest Grove • Gaston • Helvetia • Hillsboro Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway, a 50-mile ride through the valley’s rich agricultural and viticultural landscapes, stopping King City • North Plains • North Willamette Valley • Sherwood • Tigard • Tualatin • Wilsonville at wineries, farmstands and small-town restaurants along the way. Ride along the Banks-Vernonia State Trail, a 21-mile former railway, for a tranquil, forested experience. Located just minutes from Portland, the dozens of wineries and breweries, 1.800.537.3149 Visit Oregon’s Washington County @WCVA outdoor adventure, cultural attractions and an eclectic mix of restaurants make the Tualatin Valley a perfect getaway for tualatinvalley.org cyclists. Learn more at tualatinvalley.org. Oregon’s Washington County oregonswashcty

WCVA_Adventure_Cycling_2pg_Spread_Ad_April_2015.indd All Pages 2/12/15 5:29 PM Time well spent

Feel the wind breeze by while exploring Oregon’s Washington County: The Tualatin Valley on two wheels. Discover the Banks • Beaverton • Chehalem Mountains • Cornelius • Durham • Forest Grove • Gaston • Helvetia • Hillsboro Tualatin Valley Scenic Bikeway, a 50-mile ride through the valley’s rich agricultural and viticultural landscapes, stopping King City • North Plains • North Willamette Valley • Sherwood • Tigard • Tualatin • Wilsonville at wineries, farmstands and small-town restaurants along the way. Ride along the Banks-Vernonia State Trail, a 21-mile former railway, for a tranquil, forested experience. Located just minutes from Portland, the dozens of wineries and breweries, 1.800.537.3149 Visit Oregon’s Washington County WCVA outdoor adventure, cultural attractions and an eclectic mix of restaurants make the Tualatin Valley a perfect getaway for @ tualatinvalley.org cyclists. Learn more at tualatinvalley.org. Oregon’s Washington County oregonswashcty

WCVA_Adventure_Cycling_2pg_Spread_Ad_April_2015.indd All Pages 2/12/15 5:29 PM Slovenia: The European Cycling Gem You’ve Never Heard Of

Story and photos by Carolyn Bys and Tyler Robertson fter several years of working, living, and, most important,A cycling around Central Europe, we were excited to finally cross into the northern edge of the Balkan Peninsula and into Slovenia. And, when we arrived, we were smitten. Sitting at the geocultural crossroads between Eastern and Western Europe and the Balkans, Slovenia is a

land of contrasts. Italian flavored in the west with a distinct Austrian influence in the north while retaining the veneer of its former identity as Yugoslavia make a unique experience. Almost endless miles of gravel roads carried us over high ridges and along deep valleys. Dozens of storybook villages captured our attention throughout the countryside. Castles and churches seemed to sprout from the hilltops like mushrooms after the rain. Not only did Slovenia have these varied cultural influences, the terrain was equally diverse. We could ride the best of Europe — wine country, the Alps, and the Story and photos by Mediterranean — in a cross-country jaunt of roughly 1,000 kilometers. After an all-too-brief visit on our Carolyn Bys and Tyler Robertson trip from Prague, Czech Republic, to Dubrovnik, Croatia, we resolved to 20 Miles return and discover some of the best A H T R I Grad Slovenian bike-touring routes. A U S U N G Crna Na Maribor Secrets of the East Slovenj Lendava A Kranjska Koroskem Gradec Our journey began in early June, Gorta Jeruzalem R Y with a four-day, 300-kilometer loop Lake Bled from Maribor, Slovenia’s second city, Kranj A along the eastern borders and through Tolmin I Y the hilly wine-growing regions of L Ljubljana N CROATIA Jeruzalem, Lendava, and Goricko. A

T E

Leaving Maribor mid-morning with I V MANY ZagrebGER lightly loaded bikes, we cruised O L SWITZ. AUSTRIA R HUNGARY O east along the Drava River Trail. a S E M C e SLOVENIA A

S N ATIA N

Intermittent route signs marked our O I

I R A C A c T

i Izola R way to the ancient Roman city of Ptuj. F A t B.&H. SERBIA L a Y

After a quick hike up to the castle and i r a little exploring around the medieval d Old Town, we continued east along flat A MARTHA BOSTWICK MARTHA farmland lining the river toward the Jeruzalem Hills. of his wine-making days under the from paved to gravel, then back to Turning north from the Drava, the Yugoslav regime when all producers paved several times. terrain suddenly morphed into short, were obliged to only sell their wares to A hilly 100-kilometer ramble steep hills. A collection of vineyards, the government-operated collective. from Lendava to the small Goricko hilltop churches, and villages is He and a few others were able to settlement of Grad had us up and out centered on the tiny settlement of break free and establish themselves early. Home to one of Slovenia’s largest Jeruzalem, named by 11th-century independently, partially due to remaining castles on the Austrian Crusaders who discovered a place as geographic remoteness, but also due border, reaching Grad (which also special as the Holy Land itself. Quiet to an attitude he described as “being as means “Castle” in Slovene) proved to be roads twisted from ridge to ridge past cocky as a rooster.” a challenge. We pedaled a short section dozens of small, family-run vineyards The next day, Milan insisted we of Eurovelo 13, slicing through Slovenia, all surrounded by rows of tidy vines take one — no two — bottles of his rolled past village after village, stopped shimmering in the sunlight. Except for famed Šipon (ShEE-pone) with us as for a picnic, and briefly inspected the the occasional tractor or farm truck we got back to the bikes to begin our tiny St. Niklas Rotunda Church — ambling past, we had these roads to descent to the Mura River Trail and reputedly built by the Knights Templar ourselves. east into Lendava. Rolling through the — and made an awkward phone call in We arrived for the night at Vinoteka farmlands surrounding the Mura, we broken German to arrange a place to Hlebec — a working winery and farm stopped several times to snap photos sleep that night. hosting guests (a.k.a. “tourist farm”) in of the storks feeding their young in Arriving at the castle in late the settlement of Kog on the Croatian giant nests on top of platforms affixed afternoon, we tromped around the border. Slovene hospitality and to telephone poles. As we rode farther grounds imagining the knights and outstanding wine served as translators east, wheat and apples replaced wine, nobility who once stood there looking as we ate and talked. Milan told us and the quiet roads changed surface out over their domain. The former

32 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 province of Hungarian and then Into the Alps Austrian Dukes, the castle has presided After returning to Maribor, we set over these hills since the early 13th out on the most challenging section century. During WWII, it served as a of our cross-country adventure — 300 command post for Josip Broz Tito’s kilometers of mostly gravel road from Yugoslav Partisan Army and later as Maribor into the Alps. Leaving from the barracks for Soviet troops. Today, the top of the local ski hill, we began our ramparts stand silent, and the interior trek west along the Pohorje Tranzversal courtyard, though maintained, sees Trail, a well-marked and winding only occasional visitors. 75-kilometer slice of gravel cutting through the densely forested ridges of

NUTS & BOLTS Slovenia

WHEN TO GO Teran from Karst • 68% of the population May through September is • Pumpkin-seed oil drizzled speaks English the ideal time for cycling, over everything, especially • 28,000 wineries but there are some trade- vanilla ice cream (trust us • 500 castles and castle offs. The high mountain on this one!) ruins country is best from June • 254 sunny days per year to August (Vršić Pass opens OUR FAVORITE GEAR on average May 1), and Karst and the The routes we chose are full • First Yugoslav republic to seaside are really quite hot of mixed terrain with lots declare independence in in the summer months. The of (mostly smooth) gravel 1991 shoulder months, April and in remote areas. Good tires October, are options, but with some tread are a must, RESOURCES prepare for rain and even and we love our Schwalbe • Slovenia – A Bicycle Travel snow at altitude. Marathons. Guide by Carolyn Bys and Tyler Robertson, two- FOOD & DRINK GOOD TO KNOW wheeltravelblog.com • Tolminc cheese from the Although 1,000 kilometers • Soca Valley Tourism hosts Alpine dairy farms above can be covered in less than a variety of resources at Soca Valley two weeks, give yourself dolina-soce.com. • Pršut Ham from Karst some extra leeway for • Kartographia produces • Carniola sausage from the the rough and demanding maps that include cycle Alps terrain. If you love wine, routes for each region on • Bled cream cake at Lake historical sites, or mountain a 1:40,000 scale. Bled playgrounds, make some kartografija.si • Kobarid Štruklji (pockets time for exploring Jeruza- • Slovenia Tourism Board of dough stuffed with lem, Logarska Dolina, Lakes maintains an online listing walnut, raisins, spices, Bled and Bohinj, or the Soca of virtually every hotel, and chocolate) Valley. campground, and tourist • Blueberry schnapps farm, along with some • Jota (hearty farmer’s BETCHA DIDN’T KNOW: cycling information. soup) • 22,000 kilometers of main- sloveniainfo.com • Wines – especially Šipon tained gravel roads • EuroVelo, eurovelo.com/ from Jeruzalem and •48 kilometers of coastline en/cycling-in/slovenia

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 33 Pohorje Massif. Pedaling the Tranzversal is deceptive. On the map, the route closely follows the ridgeline, varying its elevation only slightly. On the ground, alternating patches of smooth gravel and loose rocks combined with the short, steep rises to push our limits and those of our loaded bikes. The going was mostly pleasant, although tough. Passing remote hikers’ cabins and secluded lakes, we walked only a couple of short sections. We stopped for a picnic lunch at a funky trailside museum to forest workers and overnighted in a ski cabin at Pesek. Tucked under deep forest shade, we rode along the mountain’s edge and past clear mountain springs for two solid days. Feeling almost totally alone, we saw only four people and two cars the entire time. At Pohorje’s western end, we stopped the second night in Slovenj Gradec, a sleepy little town in the Mislinja Valley and the capital of the Koroška region. The mountains and terrain here were steeper than anything we’d experienced Carolyn pedaling past a prime example of thus far. the dozens of Baroque churches dotting the We headed south down the Mislinja landscape in eastern Slovenia. Valley, turning west to climb on smooth gravel, along exposed edges but safely roads with steep green chasms below. back from the deep, green abyss of Reaching the summit, we turned the the valley below. We felt like tiny ants corner, and the first views of the craggy ascending a huge green mound. The Savinjska Alps erupted before us like deeper we went, the bigger the peaks limestone shark’s teeth jutting skyward. that surrounded us. Heads spinning Proceeding with awe-struck caution from endorphins and rich mountain into Logarska Dolina, we stopped at air, we stopped at the 16th-century St. every opportunity to take in the views. Magdelena church to fill our bottles Logarska Dolina alternately felt like from the public spring before our final something out of an IMAX movie and descent. For 20 minutes, we dodged in Grimm’s fairytales. The area is actually and out of hairpin corners, first rough a series of glacial valleys that form an gravel and then pavement when the impenetrable bowl at the southern pitch became steepest. Squeezing the end and is edged to the north by the brakes tightly, then releasing, over and clear Savinjska River. The community’s over again, farmhouses clinging to the dedication to heritage and sustainability valley walls whizzed past in a blur, until was reflected in the tidy farmstead finally we arrived in the tiny center of houses and neatly manicured pastures Črna na Koroškem. 40 kilometers for covered with indigenous Solčava sheep the day, and we were shelled. Checking against a backdrop of arching limestone in at the town’s only café for a room, we massifs. Accommodations in the valley chatted with an Austrian bike-touring are at small, working family farms. couple as we gobbled pizza. Most have been in the same families for The riding pattern was the same nearly 500 years. as the previous day, but it never After spending an extra day cycling bored us. We meandered up a river and hiking the valleys, we began the valley, followed by more high gravel climb back up the steep route that

34 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 had brought us there. Tough going at first, we reached the Panoramska Cesta (“Vista Road”), a high gravel road paralleling the Logarska Valley, as we headed toward the Austrian border high above the valley floor. Because the area was steaming from recent rain showers, we seemed to be peering down into a witch’s smoky cauldron as we looked into the valley. After making it back into Slovenia and the quaint old-town charm of Kranj, we headed toward the country’s main tourist draws — Lake Bled and the Julian Alps. Lake Bled was one of the few crowded places in the country, and it was easy to see why. The water was warm and azure blue. A medieval castle is perched on a precipice overlooking the lake, and an iconic church sits on an island in the middle. The Julian Alps provide a spectacular backdrop. After a raucous night in a campground with about 1,000 of our closest friends, we quickly rode over to Lake Bohinj for a little R&R. There are no castles here, no churches, and far fewer tourists, just a pristine mountain lake at the end of the valley, butted against Mt. Triglav — Slovenia’s highest peak and the namesake for the country’s only national park.

From the Alps to the Adriatic Sea Recent days of constant climbing SUPPORT had taken their toll. We both needed time off the bikes because our legs were feeling increasingly rubbery. The WHAT YOU village of Kranjska Gora, a relatively easy 40-kilometer ride from Lake Bled, was a charming place to recover. With LOVE. alpine beauty in every direction, the We share your love of riding Sava Bohinjka River carved a green bikes. Our bicycle accessories valley through the limestone and Mt. Triglav — the three-headed mountain make your two-wheeled — looked down at us reminding us adventures easier, safer and exactly how small we really are. a lot more fun. Every time you We needed our rest too, because purchase one of our products we were about to tackle our toughest you are partnering in our challenge: climbing Vršić, the highest mission to contribute 25% paved pass in Slovenia, with 51 switchbacks and 1,100 vertical meters of profits to support over 11 kilometers. As we met more and bicycle advocacy. more local cyclists, we were regaled with tales of topping the mountain in BETTER BICYCLE PRODUCTS 50, 45, and 42 minutes. They all asked, FOR A BETTER WORLD “How heavy is your bike?” Honestly, if planetbike.com we had known, we probably wouldn’t

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 35 soon we were sitting on the summit. Apples and cheese filled our mouths. The horizon stretched endlessly in all directions. We stopped for a while to take it all in — when you are sitting on top of the world, you never want come down. Remounting the bikes, we coasted for about a kilometer before touching the brakes. Switchbacks 25 through 30 were passed in the first minutes. The steel-colored rock faces on the north side turned to lush greenery on the south. Gaping views of the Soca Valley far below lured our focus from the road. The edge of the road was sheer, and a misstep here would send the unwary cyclist tumbling. Carolyn rinding out a long gravel climb near Črna na Koroškem. Three villages — Bovec, Kobarid, and Tolmin — are found along the upper have attempted the climb. The one an hour to reach number seven. Early valley. The total length is around 60 thing we did know was we would be on, an old Italian roadie passed us, and kilometers. Starting as an underground slow going up. We estimated our time at giving us a quick glance up and down, trickle, the turquoise-colored Soca around two hours. he smirked, “Bravo! Good luck.” Great, River sculpts a majestic course through Starting at the crack of dawn, even the old guys doubted we could do the valley. Narrow canyons and Class V we pedaled with purpose. Cruelly this. rapids sit at the edge of the road along (or mercifully, depending on your Eventually, switchback 24 — the last its length. We could easily ride from one perspective), each switchback along the one on this side — was in our sights. end to the other in a single day. Instead, climb is numbered. It seemed to take Coming in at just under 120 minutes, we spent a few days camped along the

specialist for bike tours in Central Europe Visit Central Europe – a paradise for cycling Surprising density of ancient castles Vienna to Prague Greenways & fairy–tale chateaux Salzburg to Prague Beautiful and varied countryside Vienna to Krakow Amber Trail Excellent network of paved backroads Budapest to Krakow Amber Trail Quality accommodation

Easy and convenient self-guided tours Passau to Vienna Danube Trail Guided tours with local guides Vienna to Budapest Danube Trail 8-day to 10-day tours Prague to Dresden

Visit www.topbicycle.com for trip descriptions, dates and prices. For a free brochure, email us [email protected]

Czech Republic Slovakia Austria Hungary Germany Poland

inzerat_Top_bicycle.indd 1 15.2.2008 16:51:31

36 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 river’s shore, rafting, canyoneering, and casually pedaling from village to village. From Tolmin, at the valley’s southern end, we followed a recommended route out of the Soca drainage and east into Goriška Brda, a.k.a. Slovenian Tuscany. In a land full of sharp transitions, nothing had been as dramatic as this. A steep 800-meter climb was the opening salvo in an uphill struggle that passed one of the WWI battlefields that had inspired Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms. Up from the valley we crawled, in the hot sun, to meet yet another ridgeline. Cresting the summit, we stopped to explore an open-air museum of former tunnels and trenches left from the battles that had raged here. The paved ascent turned briefly into a bone-rattling gravel downhill before it sent us through a series of stucco villages along the Italian border. Soon the air changed. Warm, dry air enveloped us and a rich aromatic mix of heated earth and sun-drenched scrub oak trees filled our senses. With the rich mountain air behind us, we continued south into an increasingly drier climate. The Karst Shelf lay between us and the sea. A high, rocky plateau, which felt very much like Southern California, began to coalesce in front of us. The plentiful spring water that had filled our bottles through Pohorje and the Alps were but a memory. Although we were only 20 kilometers from the Adriatic Sea as the crow flies, the earth up here was dry with cultivated plots of grapes bursting from the deep, red soil. Everything was constructed entirely of stone — houses, barns, and fences — and low stone walls lined the sides of the roads and the fields marking property lines, fencing in sheep, and protecting topsoil from the fierce winter winds. Each cluster of houses, shielded behind collective stone walls and castle-sized wooden doors, displayed signs offering figs, peaches, Teran wine, and Pršut – a local salt-cured ham. Our stay at Hostel Pliskovica — in a 300-year-old stone house — gave us the chance to enjoy all the local flavors accompanied by the quiet solitude of Karst life. A long day’s ride from the coast ahead of us, we left early with the goal of before nightfall.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 37 Eventually, we were pedaling along after a weeklong solo trip along the white stone buildings crafted by the the southwestern edge of the Karst coast, spotted us instantly. When we Venetians, we heard the shout of the Shelf, looking west at Slovenia’s tiny told him of our trip around Slovenia, fish vendors enticing us with their fresh slice of the Adriatic floating far below his eyes lit up. He offered lodging, catches. It was hard to believe where us. The tiny road we’d been following food, and introductions for when we we had finally landed and all that we’d began to parallel, then cross over, a arrived in Ljubljana. Leaving before us, seen in a country not quite the size freeway heading the same direction. Anthony wanted to buy our meal. We of New Jersey. With its spider web of schwalbetires.com More traffic joined the road as we declined, but he insisted. secondary roads leading you through diverse environments with every 60 kilometers you pedal, Slovenia is an IT WAS HARD TO BELIEVE WHERE WE HAD ideal destination to travel by bicycle — from verdant wine hills and wide FINALLY LANDED AND ALL WE’D SEEN IN A river plains to forested mountaintops, COUNTRY NOT QUITE THE SIZE OF NEW JERSEY. alpine climbs, rushing emerald rivers, and finally a Mediterranean landscape The new Flat-less that ushers you to the sea. Luckily for us, this was just our first pass at began a long descent toward the coast. With the long, twisting descent researching some incredible routes, and Soon, the road was four lanes wide and behind us and a salty sea breeze in we headed back north the next day for getting steep. We were hauling down our faces, we turned south onto the further exploration. the wide shoulder, picking up speed as Parenzana Trail — an old rail line turned Carolyn Bys and Tyler Robertson have spent the past we went. cycling path. Winding our way between Incredibly Durable. Rolls Smoothly. Environmentally four-plus years living in and cycling eastern and central After a set of broad switchbacks, the water’s edge and the quaint port Conscious. Available Now at your local bicycle retailer. we took advantage of a roadside villages lining Slovenia’s tiny piece of Europe. Now repatriated to their home city of Portland, Oregon, they are scheming and saving in order to Marathon Plus: The Original. burger place to cool our brakes. After Adriatic seaside on the Istrian peninsula, resume a life of wandering the globe by bicycle. They schwalbe.com/flat-less a few minutes, a recumbent pulling a we coasted into Izola for the night. are the authors of the yet-to-be-released, Slovenia - A trailer up the hill rolled in. Anthony, a As we strolled on the ivory-tinted Bicycle Travel Guide. Until then, you can follow their Slovenian guy riding back to Ljubljana cobblestones and gazed up at the adventures at: twowheeltravelblog.com.

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2014_Marathon_Plus_Full.indd 1 10/24/14 1:15 PM ADVENTURE CYCLING ASSOCIATION

40 2014 ANNUAL REPORT 2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report

Mariia Solomatova (from Russia) and Chunyu Ou (from China) met When they stopped by Adventure Cycling headquarters in September 1 in a free English class and embarked on a bicycling tour from San 2 2014, Mike Minnick and his pooch Bixby had traveled more than 7,000 Francisco to the East Coast, with plans to continue down to South miles on Mike’s Yuba Mundo cargo bike (with Bixby’s crate mounted to America. They both carry jars of soil from their home countries as the back). Mike told us, “More than one year in, I know that one year protection from bad luck and homesickness (“works well so far”). from now, I will still be on my bike, with my best friend, having the adventure of a liftime.” 1

Dear Adventure Cycling Members, 2014 was an extraordinary year for me and for the Adventure Cycling Association. Personally, I checked off one of the big items on my bucket list, riding diagonally across North America from Key West, Florida, to Homer, Alaska — a journey made all the sweeter because the last stretch (from Missoula to Anchorage) was done as a part of our famous North Star tour. It was one of the most amazing trips of my life, and made me appreciate anew the “adventure” part of Adventure Cycling.

Speaking of which, I had the pleasure of participating in another banner year for this unique organization. Our staff and volunteers — with your generous support — hit many 2 new milestones, including: • More Adventure Cycling members than ever (47,500!). • More pages and stories than ever in our beloved and recently re-designed magazine, Adventure Cyclist. • Publication of our newest Adventure Cycling route, the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike Route, which has already gone into its third printing. • Adoption of more new U.S. Bicycle Routes (USBRs) such that, within the last three years, 16 states have designated USBRs totaling more than 8,000 miles — and there is 41 much more to come, including Part II of a Best Practices Guide to further develop this official system. • More tour participants than ever (meaning more good times than ever!), with even more 3 tours planned for 2015 (105, a doubling of available tours over the last five years). • Awarding of our first-ever Young Adult Bike Travel Scholarships, which enabled two young people to take our Introduction to Road Touring course and then become ambassadors for bike travel around the U.S. • Important advocacy efforts to create better bike travel conditions, including collaborative work with Amtrak to launch pilot projects for roll-on/roll-off bike service, and work with the National Park Service to create more bike-friendly park units, for example in the Natchez Trace. • Beta testing on the Northern Tier of new digital map products which will ultimately enable cyclists to utilize our superb routes and service waypoints on mobile devices. • More major exposure for bike tourism, as we co-organized a first-of-its-kind major conference on bike travel in San Diego this November, and promoted cycle tourism through conferences and trade shows around the world. 4 • Record levels of participation in our electronic media, with more subscribers than ever to Bike Bits (our e-newsletter), Facebook, Twitter, and other social media channels.

Add to this all the preparatory work we did for projects like Bicycle Route 66 (launched in March 2015) and our 40th anniversary celebrations in 2016, and you can see why I consider 2014 a banner year.

And last, but not least: Thank you for all that you have done! Your memberships, donations, tours and map purchases, volunteer hours, and plain old enthusiasm have made it possible for Adventure Cycling to continue its exciting work of inspiring and empowering people to travel by bicycle. 2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report PHOTOS OF VISITING CYCLISTS BY GREG SIPLE Wally Werner, President Adventure Cycling Board of Directors RACHEL STEVENS

Though they said, “Life on two wheels is great,” simply riding the Franziska Hollender wasn’t a cyclist until about a year before she 3 Great Divide Mountain Bike Route wasn’t enough for Samuel Harney, 4 arrived at Adventure Cycling headquarters, when she picked up her Kurt Williams, and Spencer Harding. In addition to their light bike- father’s 1980s steel road bike and cranked it right into high gear. In packing setup, they hauled a full set of climbing gear — rope, cams, March 2014, she entered the World Cycle Race, but had to drop out harnesses, climbing shoes, etc. — on their tour, stopping to climb along due to injury. She bounced back and entered the TransAm Bike Race, ADVENTURECYCLING.ORGthe way. rolling through Missoula in June. 41 One Epic Ride Redesigning our maps and debuting the Idaho Hot Springs Route

Quiet roads cascading through Another great leap for Adventure Cycling was the sub-alpine terrain, cozy mountain towns for breaks development of the digital data offerings. We intro- between saddle time, blue-ribbon trout streams to duced GPX tracks, instead of GPS route waypoints, fish — but let’s get to the good stuff: hot springs to as we do for our other routes. GPX tracks provide 42 soak in at the end of each day. users with a navigational path that displays as a line with an indicator of your location in relation to that While it may be under the radar for many, Idaho has line. some of the most spectacular country the West has to offer — possessing all the key ingredients of a pop- And for those who will always appreciate the crafts- ular bike-touring destination with all the beauty and manship of a paper map, a major innovation in this remoteness sought out at every corner of the globe. map layout is the detachable narratives. Casey had a good insight: bikepackers do not want to haul out The idea for the Idaho Hot Springs Mountain Bike the whole map to see what’s next. His solution was Route came out of our annual “Big Ideas” gathering to arrange the narratives such that they could be here at Adventure Cycling. Cartographer Casey cut from the map without disturbing the rest of the Greene had been scoping out more places to explore layout. This smaller cue sheet could then be stashed singletrack touring, which is quickly becoming an in a jersey pocket or easily reached framebag. exciting offshoot of bike travel. The finished product is a two-map set as stunning Not to mention, it was high time Adventure Cycling as the route itself — one bi-directional Main Route published another mountain bike route. Our members map and the second Singletrack Options map — that had been asking for more off-pavement riding op- guides cyclists through the breathtaking landscape tions beyond the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route of central Idaho along a spectacular 518-mile route. (GDMBR) — our premier off-pavement cycling route. Another first for Adventure Cycling: 227 miles of We were sure this passage through Idaho would de- backcountry singletrack riding options, which riders liver a new and exotic route for the off-road seekers. 2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report can choose to ride as loops off the main route.

What better map, then, for our Routes & Mapping Not to be overlooked, the maps highlight the 50+ hot staff to do some trailblazing work? Adventure springs options to plan around. “There are few things Cycling is fortunate to have a talented and dedicat- I’ve found that go together as well as a day of back- ed team of cartographers. They work fast, accurately, country bicycling followed by a relaxing soak in one and thoroughly. And exploring new and replacement of nature’s own hot tubs,” Greene said. “Those who’ve routes remains time-consuming, detailed work. And a never experienced it are in for a real treat.” map-maker’s work is never complete. With the addition of this route, the Adventure Cycling While the GDMBR maps were a good basis from Route Network grew to 42,180 miles. Our Routes & Map- which to start in the map-making process, it was an ping staff are as excited to add to this constantly evolv- opportunity to create an off-pavement route using ing, ever-growing national web of routes as our members GIS (Geographic Information Systems) data, in- are, no doubt, to plot out their next adventures. house. Staff worked diligently to convert Greene’s on-the-trail research into GIS data and then into a beautiful and highly functional graphic layout. 42 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2014 One Epic Ride CASEY GREENE Redesigning our maps and debuting the Idaho Hot Springs Route

43

2014 by the numbers 2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report

Miles of newly designated USBRS routes: 2,069.5 Amtrak lines piloting roll-on bicycle service: 2

Adventure Cycling members: 47,298 New members: 6,654 (incl. Myanmar, Namibia, Qatar, and Iceland) Countries where members reside: 56

Individual maps sold: 35,188 Equivalent mapped miles enjoyed by adventure cyclists: 13,164,115 Adventure Cyclist (more than in any previous volume) Pages of published: 572 mages submitted to Adventure Cyclist s annual photo contest >400 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG I ’ : 43 44 2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report rejected by force task members. The new rack rack designfor theCapitol Limited was tested and issues for each route. In thefall ofabicycle 2014, and have identified solutions to station andplatform andbenefitsnomic impacts of bicycling for Amtrak ings every month. The teams have documented eco Adventure Cycling have ledpilot route team meet Since formation of force, thetask Amtrak and force isworking to address. own andchallenges, opportunities whichthetask Vermont andWashington, DC.Eachlineposes its Vermonter line, whichtravels between Albans, St. The short-distance pilot route chosen isthe the Great Allegheny Passage andC&OCanaltrails. between Chicago andWashington, DC,andparallels pilot route is the Capitol Limited line, whichtravels egies for roll-on bicycle service. The long-distance potential policychanges andcommunication strat that willfacilitate anddocument designsolutions, ing two pilot projects withintheNortheast region services onAmtrak lines.The Task Force isoversee short-term goals for improving bicycle access and forcethe task formed to address both long and passenger advocates, andtransportation officials, up of bicycle advocates, industry professionals, rail Roll on Bicycle Task Force. Made In January and Amtrak formed a Adventure2014, Cycling Roll oFF

JOSH WILSON

CHUCK GOMEZ

of

- - - - will allow bicycles to beloadedat stations withbag many of theireastern lines.These new baggage cars AmtrakIn 2014, announced new baggage cars on existing passenger seating. that willallow bicycle storage withouttakingaway prototype rack hasbeendesigned for theVermonter used successfully onCalifornia trains. In addition,a design willbesimilarto theracks currently being which limitstravel options for cyclists. The Bicy of Amtrak stations don’t provide baggage service, box thebikes. This iswelcome news, however, 67% gage service withouttheneedto disassembleand multimodal bicycle tour using thesetwo lines. services. Stay tunedandsoonyou’ll beable to plana and in2015 we expect to announce thenew pilot These exciting developments continue to progress, amtrak-map. Cycling Route Network map:adventurecycling.org/ Amtrak system mapinto ourinteractive Adventure page. Taking thisastep further, we integrated the information that now lives onourmultimodal web ing aspreadsheet of timetableandbaggage service how to useAmtrak service onbicycle tours by creat Adventure Cycling responded to many requests for In additionto theefforts of theBicycle Task Force, through theroll-on pilot projects. cle Task Force willhelpAmtrak address thisissue

MATT O’TOOLE - - - - Thank you! 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Association Annual Report CORPORATE NEW LIFE MEMBERS Bruce Adams Jr. • Michele Baber • Michael Barry & Jessica Mattia-Barry • Arthur & Pam Bartlett • Ken MEMBERS Berger • Heather Bliss • Glenn & Donna Boutilier • Lawrence Byers • Robert Carson • Ron Core • Jeff TITANIUM: Bike Tours Direct • Crouse • Scott Damby • Kim D’auria-Vazira • Paul Deschene • Mike Dillon • William Doumas • Scott Blackburn • Primal Wear • Quality Bicycle & Ann Eddy • Orlo Elfes • Maryanne Gallagher • Langston Goree • Jeffrey Grotte & Renae Osowski • Products • Red Arrow Group • Rudy Sigrid Haines • Dan & Lesli Halvorson • Collette Haney • John & Sarah Holman • Sara Hopper • Krrish Project • Salsa • Surly GOLD: Big Agnes Jiwan • Karen Kennedy • Donald Kenyon • Charles King • Jason Klock • Greg Konsor • Jonathan Krall • Bike Friday • BikeFlights.com • Co-Motion • Broh Landsman • Susan Lichtensteiger & Ronald Caldwell • Lynn MacLean & Dave Updegraff • Luca Cycles • Exodus Travels • ExperiencePlus! Bicycle Martinoni • Kathleen McNamara • John Mielnik • Dodie & Roger Moquin • Sam Narten • Larry & Sarah Tours • Osprey Packs • Planet Bike • Raleigh Patzman • Nancy Pauw • Pamela Plemmons • Diane Reynolds & Jason Stephens • Robert Salipante • America • REI • Revelate Designs • SKS • Molly Sauder • William Savage • Jim Schuchardt • John Seyfarth • Zane Siple • Michael Smith • Fran Stanley-Sawtooth Chamber of Commerce • Sun Stagg • Brian Steele • Wayne Teumer • Timothy Tower • Denyse Trepanier • Stephen Warren • Mark Bicycles - J&B Importers, Inc. • Team Estrogen Wasden & Annelisa Blake-Wasden • David Waters • David Winkowski • The Bike Concierge • Velo Orange SILVER: Amore Bella Adventures • Anderson ZurMuehlen & Co. • Beer & Bike Tours • Bike2Power • BOB TRAILBLAZERS Trailer/Britax Child Safety • China Highlights • Anonymous • Donald & Martha Dolben • Todd Gardner • Charlie and Joan Graham • Andy Huppert Family Club Ride • CycloCamping • Cygolite • Detours • • Susan & Stephen Immelt • Bryan Lorber • Peter McKenney • George Mendes • Jeffrey Miller • Melissa Great Divide Mountain Bike Tour • Jones Bicycles & David Norton • Donna O’Neal & Linda Alexionok • Turner Ratrie • Jim Sayer • Dave Short • Jon Spallino • Madison County Chamber of Commerce • • Luis Vargas • Sid Voss • Wally Werner • Carol York & Pete Fotheringham National Bicycle Dealers Association • Ortlieb USA 46 • Q-Outdoor • Showers Pass • SineWave Cycles • Town Pump Hotel Group • Two Knobby Tires • Whitefish Bike Retreat BRONZE: Alphagraphics USBRS SPONSORS Missoula • Arkel • Cascade Huts • Ciclismo Almaden Cycle Touring Club • Bike Tours Direct • Cascade Bicycle Club • Ortlieb USA • Planet Bike • Classico • ClubExpress • Convertible Backpacks Primal Wear • Sun Bicycles - J&B Importers, Inc. • Team Estrogen • Cumberland Trail Connection • DKKD Staffing • Mekong Voyage • Motel 6 Nationwide • Ocean Air Cycles • Real Travel France • Road Holland Cycling Apparel • Rocky Mountain Print Solutions GRANTORS • The Directory • Woman Tours American Association of State Highway & Transportation Officials • Climate Ride, Inc. • Growler Cage • Montana Department of Commerce, Office of Tourism • Nutcase • Park Tool • SRAM Cycling Fund • MILE SPONSORS Stephen M. Seay Foundation, Inc. • Tawani Foundation • The Lazar Foundation • Thunder Island Brewing PACIFIC COAST: John & Roxanne Chapman (2) • Tom Granvold • Judie & Richard Keenan • Diana Konopka • Lee Portnoff • Fillmore & Sharon IN-KIND DONORS Wood (panel) TRANSAM: Michael Brown • Greg & June Siple • Sean & Sandra Sweeney • Beer & Bike Tours • Bike Touring News • Bike Tours Direct • Dwight Crevelt, 7C’s Winery • Peter Currer (2) Bike2Power • BikeFlights.com • Blackburn • Canari • Convertible Backpacks • Cygolite • Detours • Jones • Joeann Gutowski, ExperiencePlus Bicycle Tour Bicycles • Old Man Mountain Products • Ortlieb USA • Osprey Packs • Primal Wear • Q-Outdoor • Raleigh (2) • Michael & Nancy Maller • James Shannon, America • Revelate Designs • Two Knobby Tires • Velo Orange Nostalgia Group Inc. • Steven Turner & Melanie Wulf

The Adventure Cycling Association staff wants to thank you for helping grow our bicycle travel community.

2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report Top row: left-right: John Sieber, Michael Deme, Nathan Taylor, Alex Strickland, Rachel Stevens, Eva Dunn-Froebig, Lydia Hess, Julie Huck, Josh Tack, Saara Snow, Gage Poore, Jim Sayer, Brian Bonham, Arlen Hall Thank you! Middle row: left-right: Richard Darne, Greg Siple, Sheila Snyder, Teri Maloughney, Annette Stahelin, Melissa Thompson, Mandy Hale, Carla Majernik, Lisa McKinney, Darrah Rogers, Jake Flaherty, Geoff McMillion

Bottom row: left-right: Patrick Finley, Mike Lessard, Cassie Nelson, Ginny Sullivan, Casey Green, Beth Petersen

Not pictured: Jenn Milyko, David Barth, Tom Bassett, Travis Switzer, Mac McCoy TOM ROBERTSON TOM ice cream and a photo shoot. ice creamandaphoto shoot. days, the“4KforCancer” grouppauseatAdventureCycling headquartersfor In themidstofafundraising rideof4,000milesfromBaltimore toSeattlein70 2 Increase (Decrease) inNetAssets Total Program Services Publications andMedia$722,819 Outreach Program Services* Support Services Expenses Net OperatingRevenue Other $13,125 Advertising $325,857 Donations/Grants $907,303 Tours NetSales Membership $1,386,000 Merchandise NetSales Revenues FY201413 Statement ofRevenuesandExpenses Adventure CyclingAssociation and resources. secure betterbicyclingpolicies efforts atthefederallevelto bike-travel resources,and routes, distributionofyouth information forourestablished 66, maintenanceofmap such asBicycleRoute creation ofnewbikeroutes Bicycle RouteSystem, development oftheU.S. education projectsincluding support advocacyand foundations, andbusinesses Donations fromindividuals, Revenues andExpenses: Travel Initiatives Membership Services Routes &Mapping 0 1 4 F I S CAL SU

Donations/Grants 25% Merchandise NetSales8% $2,128,882 2,010,449 $3,015,681 $269,813 $648,870 $435,200 $647,007 $165,676 55,117 $217,610 222,618 Tours NetSales2% $239,792 $52,180 Advertising 11% M M $44,396 $5,241 $297,544 $714,280 $1,499,325 $605,405 $395,171 $598,306 $2,794,125 A RY $704,777 $260,700 185,370 Revenues

GREG SIPLE ones year-round. Routes &Mapping staffers keepbusyupdatingcurrentroutes andresearchingnew available atadventurecycling.org/audit orbycalling800.7552453. RevenueCode.Acopyoftheannualauditis under Section501(c)(3)oftheInternal Adventure Cycling Association is a nonprofit charitable organization as qualified Total LiabilitiesandNetAssets Total FundBalance Net Assets Total Liabilities Long-term Liabilities Current Liabilities Liabilities Total Assets Long-term Assets Current Assets Assets Balance Sheet Adventure CyclingAssociation Membership 54%

Expenses

$2,675,670 2,469,305 $1,661,008 1,421,216 $1,014,662 1,048,089 $2,675,670 2,469,305 $1,450,204 1,722,742 $1,225,466 746,563 $129,982 126,377 $884,680 921,712 FY2014 13 Administration 5% Development 6% Program Services*89%

GREG SIPLE 47 2014 Adventure Cycling Association Annual Report SPECIFICATIONS 10. Standover height: 82.5cm NOVARA MAZAMA 11. Frame: 4130 chromoly. Road Test Three bottle bosses; top-tube shift-cable routing with inline Price: $1,099 adjusters; downtube brake-cable Sizes available: Small, medium, guides; rack and fender mounts; large, extra large replaceable derailer hanger; Size tested: Large (for riders pump peg 5-9 to 6-0) 12. Fork: Chromoly. Rack and Weight: 26.9 lb. (without pedals) fender mounts at dropouts, crown and mid-fork; low-rider mounts at mid-fork; dynamo- TEST BIKE MEASUREMENTS cable guides on right fork blade; 1. Seat tube: 53.5cm (center brake-cable guides on left fork to top) blade 2. Top tube: 54.5cm (actual) 13. Rims: Alex ATD 470, 32-hole 3. Head tube angle: 71° 14. Spokes: DT Swiss 4. Seat tube angle: 73° Competition 5. Chainstays: 44.5cm 15. Hubs: Formula, 32-hole NOVARA MAZAMA 6. Bottom bracket drop: 70mm 16. Tires: Clement X-Plor MSO, 7. Crank spindle height above 700c x 40mm ground: 280mm 17. Crankset: Shimano Deore 8. Fork offset: 50mm FC-T611, 175mm, 48/36/26 chainrings BY PATRICK O’GRADY 9. Wheelbase: 1060mm

➺MOUNT MAZAMA was once a volcano, and as volcanoes sometimes do, it blew up. Its collapsed caldera came to enclose Crater Lake, and its name came from an 1896 journey there by The Mazamas, a Portland mountaineering club whose founders had previously scaled etymological heights by extending the Nahuatl word for deer, mazatl, to include the Rocky Mountain goat. A mountain goat, no matter what you call it, can go pretty much anywhere it pleases. And so can the Novara Mazama from REI. The Mazama is REI’s 10-speed entry in the adventure-bike sweepstakes. It’s not a fat bike — that’s a whole other species of mountain goat — but it’s stout enough to take you to a lot of the same places the big boys can go, and it’ll be a whole lot easier to carry up the stairs once you get home. Plus it’s light on the wallet at $1,099 and more fun to ride than a mazatl. Deer. Whatever. A sticker on the downtube assigns the Mazama a 1+ rating, meaning REI deems it “suitable for road riding and smooth trails.” But once you get tired of that sort of thing, it’s easily coaxed around moderately mountain-bikey terrain — twisty singletrack, small rock gardens, bumpy ups and downs. Cyndi Mundhenk, product line manager for Novara, says the Mazama

48 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 18. Cassette: Shimano 10-speed, GEARING IN INCHES 11,13,15,17,19,21,24,28,32,36 19. Chain: KMC Z99 10-speed 48 36 26 20. Shift levers: MicroShift BS- 11 119.2 89.4 64.6 M10 bar-cons, 10-speed 13 100.9 75.7 54.6 21. Brake levers: TRP RRL-A 15 87.4 65.6 47.4 22. Front derailer: Shimano Deore 17 77.1 57.9 41.8 23. Rear derailer: Shimano Deore 19 69.0 51.8 37.4 24. Brakes: TRP Spyre mechanical 21 62.4 46.8 33.8 is a perfect fit for REI’s “free-range discs 24 54.6 41.0 29.6 adventure” customer, who may ride the 25. Rotors: Shimano Center-Lock SM-RT64, 160mm 28 46.8 35.1 25.4 road to work Monday through Friday 26. Pedals: n/a 32 41.0 30.7 22.2 and then get dirty on the weekend. 27. Seat post: Novara, two-bolt 36 36.4 27.3 19.7 “It’s a gravel grinder for the person clamp, 27.2mm who doesn’t race but is more interested in 28. : Novara, 110mm, 7° rise, Contact: REI, Sumner, WA 98352; a comfortable way to ride the same places 31.8mm four-bolt clamp 1.800.426.4840; rei.com. with options for camping,” she said. 29. Handlebar: Novara All-Terrain 6061 aluminum, 31.8mm Toward that end, the Mazama 30. Bar tape: Velo comes with quad-friendly gearing 31. Headset: FSA with Head Block — a Shimano Deore triple crankset turn limiter For online video, see (48/36/26), Deore derailers, and an 32. Saddle: WTB Pure V adventurecycling.org/ 11-36 cassette. You also get three sets of mazama bottle bosses, rack and fender mounts, guides on the right fork blade for a cable should you decide to add dynamo lighting, and a pump peg. Though the fork has the usual double eyelets at the dropouts, REI’s designers even thought to include a set of fender bosses on the inside of both fork blades, which lets you avoid sharing the low-rider mounts with a rack, the unsightly bending of fender stays around the front brake caliper, or hose-clamping the stays to the rack. “It makes routing the fender stays cleaner and easier than having to custom-bend them around the disc caliper,” said lead designer Greg Golding. “Also, most stock fender stays are not long enough to make this bend and provide the necessary clearance for a large tire.” And the stock tires are indeed large — Clement X-Plor MSO foldable knobbies in 700x40mm. You can go larger if you like, all the way to 45mm, though you may be pushing the envelope fender-wise. And anyway, all the cool kids will stick with the stock tires, if only because the “MSO” is a nod to the airport code for Missoula, Montana, home to (wait for it) the Adventure Cycling Association. Given its big rubber and steel frameset I didn’t expect the Mazama to bound away from a dead stop like a startled deer, and it doesn’t. But once I got it moving, the bike ambled along just fine in Albuquerque, my home

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 49 since last fall. It rolled placidly on components quit making nice with each riding conditions, but recognize that the pavement of all varieties and sailed other with the advent of 10-speed groups, possibility of spoke contact is a concern serenely around the local singletrack. and the only way to command a 10-speed under load and are in the process of The mixed-condition MSOs, with a Deore drivetrain was to look elsewhere investigating a larger test sample,” she center ridge of closely spaced knobs for for the shifters, according to Golding (see said. “We haven’t had the bikes long pavement and shoulder lugs for dirt, pp. 13-15 for more). enough to get any customer feedback, are rated for 55-90 psi. But at 70, they “Shimano bar-cons are not compatible and the techs in our stores are usually gave me some harsh feedback on roads with their mountain rear derailers — only very quick to point out issues.” surfaced with heavy chip-seal, and on road,” he said. “This puts a limit on the Being a rim-brake kind of guy, I sandy trails 60 was too stiff for confident gear range that we found undesirable. examined four other disc-equipped cornering; I rarely ran more than 60 on The MicroShift bar-cons with a Shimano bikes — one with Spyres, one with Avid road or 40 off-road. The MSO is durable, rear derailer allow us to get to the gear BB5 Roads, and two with BB7-S Roads — too — I came home once with cactus range (specifically the low gear) that is and found their caliper/spokes clearance spines in both tires but didn’t notice them essential on this style of bike.” all over the map. One of the BB7s was until the next day. Both tires were still Also useful is a strong set of stoppers, nearly as snug a fit up front as the plump. and the TRP Spyre mechanical discs Mazama’s Spyre. The double-butted 4130 chromoly are certainly that. The double-piston Then I consulted two mechanics frame is a flat cayenne red, a fine match design provided smooth, predictable whose chops far exceed mine. Both for the Sandias at sunset, with blue braking from both hoods and hooks, suggested replacing the Mazama’s accents on the lower fork blades and and without a single squeal, too. 160mm rotor with a 180. Instead, I seat stays and badging that borders Golding said that two-piston punch decided to take the cheap and easy way on the invisible. I liked it; it seemed a elevates the Spyre above other brakes. out, loosening the front wheel’s spokes a fine workmanlike hue that wouldn’t be “The lever feel is better,” he said. quarter turn on the rotor side, tightening offended by contact with a trailside rock “Power and modulation are better than the others by the same amount, and or a downtown bike rack. It looks a little most mechanicals and it is much easier finally realigning the caliper. This gave like some Portland hipster went after the to get the rotor centered between the me about a business card’s worth of frame with a rattle-can of Krylon. pads. It’s really the first advancement in clearance between actuation arm and The wildly flared Novara All-Terrain mechanical disc brakes in years.” spokes, and that disturbing “tink tink handlebar is intended to improve I found the front brake caliper’s tink” sound went away. handling while descending on rough actuation arm a bit too close to the And so did I, right back to the roads terrain, but I spent most of my time on spokes for comfort, though. While and trails, and without incident, too. the hoods of the TRP RRL-A brake levers climbing out of the saddle and under My most recent outing on the Mazama rather than in the drops, though they heavy braking I could hear the arm was in a light snow, on some moderate were shallow and easily reached by an brushing against at least one pair where singletrack. I didn’t crater, and the bike old saddle tramp. That flare — to 60cm at they crossed. didn’t blow up. Together we pranced the MicroShift BS-M10 bar-cons — was After I raised the issue with around the whitening cacti like a mazatl. a little too generous in certain situations, Mundhenk in late January, she told Goat. Whatever. such as negotiating narrow fence gates me that REI’s design and tech-services at trailheads or running the occasional people had double-checked a sample Patrick O’Grady has written and cartooned gantlet of cholla. bike and thought its front-wheel setup about cycling since 1989 for VeloNews, Bicycle Those third-party shifters are how REI was within reason. Retailer and Industry News, and a variety of other publications. To read more from Patrick, visit got to that nifty gearing, in case you were “They believe there is adequate maddogmedia.wordpress.com. wondering. Shimano’s road and mountain clearance with our sample under normal

50 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 Share The Joy FOR A CHANCE TO WIN

Spread the joy of cycling and you could win some fun prizes and a bike.

l For each cyclist you refer to Adventure Cycling, you will have one chance to win a Giant Revolt1 valued at $1,380. The winner will be drawn from all eligible members in January of 2016. l Each month, we’ll draw a mini-prize winner who will receive gifts from corporate members such as: Bike2Power, Cygolite, Rudy Project/RACE, Osprey, and others. l The more cyclists you refer, the more chances you have to win!

adventurecycling.org/joy

ADVENTURE CYCLING CORPORATE MEMBERS Adventure Cycling’s business partners play a significant role in the suc- through a higher level of support. These corporate membership funds go cess of our nonprofit organization. Our Corporate Membership Program is toward special projects and the creation of new programs. To learn more designed to spotlight these key supporters. Corporate Members are com- about how your business can become a corporate supporter of Adventure panies that believe in what we do and wish to provide additional assistance Cycling, go to adventurecycling.org/corporate or call (800) 755-2453.

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ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 51 Fine Tuned You, too, can prevent flats

WITH OR you’re dealing with a tube filled with WITHOUT air, you’re not going to find TUBES a 100 percent flat-proof sys- METHODS FOR tem. There are some things you PREVENTING can do before each ride that will help FLATS improve your chances of a flat-free day. Inspect your tires for excessive wear, BY JOSH TACK deep gashes, or bits of sharp debris that are already loosely embedded in the tire. It’s also in your best interest to level but don’t want to spend a lot of ➺ ARGUABLY the most common make sure your tires are properly in- money, tire liners are what you want. mechanical issue a cyclist will flated to reduce the risk of pinch flats. These are simply strips of hardened encounter on the road or trail is a flat While this is all well and good, there urethane that are placed between your GREG SIPLE tire. Anytime you head outside for a are also a great deal of products available tire and tube, and you can pick up a set ride you can expect your route to be that are specifically aimed at improving of tire liners for under $20. They do a littered with broken glass, sharp rocks, your chances in the fight against flats. great job of deflecting thorns, glass, and staples, nails, thorns, wires, and other Most of these products are very basic, other sharp debris that try to penetrate miscellaneous pointy objects that and it’s likely that you’re already using your tube and are available for nearly are just sitting there waiting for an one or more of them right now. Here’s any tire size, including fat bikes. There unsuspecting cyclists to roll over them. a look at five ways you can reduce the are quite a few companies producing Assuming you’re prepared with a amount of flat tires you encounter. tire liners, but Mr. Tuffy mrtuffy.com( ) spare tube and pump, a punctured tube Puncture-Resistant Tires: This is could be singled out as the leader in the is relatively simple to fix away from about as basic as it gets so I won’t spend industry. Aside from being both very ef- home. Regardless, this misfortune too much time here. Almost every bicy- fective and inexpensive, another thing I still possesses the ability to change cle tire manufacturer has put together a appreciate about tire liners is that they the mood of a ride for the worse in a range of puncture-resistant tires, which take a long time to wear out. Over a few hurry. If you’re out in the rain and cold, more or less consists of a durable belt years of use, they can become some- repairing a flat can be downright mis- that runs between the tire tread and what brittle, and that’s when you want erable. If you’re in mosquito territory, casing. This belt is a good line of de- to start thinking about replacing them. it’s enough to make you consider riding fense for your tube against small sharp Thorn-Resistant Tubes: Another the flat tire to the nearest safe haven. debris, such as crushed glass. There are low-budget flat prevention option are Even on the most pleasant of days, a many tires in this category, but two that thorn-resistant tubes. Ranging from leaking tube can deflate any rhythm I’ve come to trust over the years are $8 to $15 a tube, these are about as you may have had and make you second the Continental Top Contact II and the low-tech as it gets. They are just like guess the stability of your tires for the Schwalbe Marathon HS 440. any other ordinary bicycle tube, except remainder of the day. Tire Liners: If you’re looking to take quite a bit thicker. In most cases, the Flats simply aren’t fun, but when your puncture protection to the next wall thickness of the tube is designed

52 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 so that you will have anywhere from Tubeless: Now we’re getting into You might hear people say that an 3.5mm to 4.5mm of thickness at the territory you may not be quite as air compressor is handy for install- top of the tube, and 1.5mm to 2.5mm familiar with. As you probably guessed ing a tubeless tire since you need a of thickness at the bottom where the from the name, a tubeless system re- quick blast of air to quickly push the tube rests against the rim. As the name moves the bicycle tube from the equa- tire’s bead against the rim to create an would suggest, these are excellent for tion and relies on your tire to form an airtight seal. Compressors are indeed protecting against flats in thorn country airtight seal with the rim to prevent air handy, but I’ve found that soapy water or roadways littered with sharp debris. from leaking out. Setting up a tubeless can be effective as well. With the tire I’ve found that they also do a good job system requires more time, attention mounted to the rim, give it a good bath of limiting pinch flats. to detail, and is also more expensive in soapy water. The bubbles from the Tube Sealants: This is where we than the previous four methods of flat soap will make it more difficult for air start to get a little bit more involved prevention. While that doesn’t sound to escape when you’re adding air for with setting up your puncture-resis- so hot, if you do your fair share of the first time. You can also remove tant system. Tube sealants have been riding on gravel roads or singletrack, the valve core when initially pumping around for a long time, and the idea is I’ll argue that the ride quality gained up the tire, which will force more air that if something sharp stabs through from a tubeless setup makes switching through with each pump. Once you your tube, exiting air pressure will to a tubeless system worth your time have the tire sealed up to the rim, you cause the sealant fluid to rush to the and money. can deflate the tire, add your sealant, hole and seal off the exit wound before How does tubeless improve ride and pump it back up. If you do suffer a your tire has time to deflate. This works quality and prevent flats? Since flat while riding, don’t fret. Just toss a really well for small puncture holes of there’s no tube, you don’t have to wor- tube into the tire, and keep rolling. upwards to 3mm in diameter, which ry about pinch flats, allowing you to I wouldn’t recommend tubeless for accounts for a huge percentage of the run lower tire pressures than normal. loaded touring. This is better suited for punctures you’ll have. For instance, on a 700c x 32mm tire, weekend exploring off road. The ad- There are two ways to go about I might run between 30 and 35 on a ditional weight of a heavy load would setting up a sealant system for your tubeless tire as opposed to the 60-70 put too much stress on the tire, and tubes. The first method is to just go psi I would run with tubes. This takes increase your chances of a blowout. out and buy a tube that is pre-filled a noticeable amount of vibration I would also recommend seeking out with sealant — doesn’t get much easier out of rough surfaces, which you’ll tubeless-specific tires for this applica- than that. The other option is to inject appreciate on longer rides. Tubeless tion. While you can get a non-tubeless a standard tube with sealant. The only also works best with sealant added, tire to hold air on a Stans NoTubes catch there is that your tube will need which will clog up most punctures rim, they aren’t as reliable. to have a removable valve core. Per- you encounter. No matter how you decide to go sonally, I’m a fan of filling up my own If you choose to give tubeless a try, about preventing flat tires, just re- tubes with sealant for a couple reasons. new wheels are likely in your future, member that no system is 100 percent Sealant itself isn’t too expensive to and Stans NoTubes (notubes.com) effective. Always have a flat-tire repair buy in large quantities, and you can seems to have the best system right kit on hand when you roll out. decide for yourself how much sealant now. With a Stan’s NoTubes rim, you you want to put in a tube. Slime (slime. will want to use tubeless tape to seal Josh Tack is Adventure Cycling’s Membership com) is a well known and trusted com- off the rim’s spoke holes, and install Manager. If you have questions or comments about this article, or anything related to bicycle pany producing tube sealant, and they the air valve directly to the rim. Then travel, feel free to shoot Josh an email at jtack@ offer both pre-filled tubes and contain- comes the fun part, where you mount adventurecycling.org. ers of sealant. the tire.

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ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 53 EuroVelo Route Development Building the European cycle route network from the local level

Editor’s Note: This is the second install- is undertaken by a single organization, GIS software. The DRC, as the National ment in a series about EuroVelo written the term NEC applies. Also shown on EuroVelo Coordination Centre, uses this by our bicycle travel partners in Europe to the map are those countries which have data to put together route development outline the routes, challenges in develop- organizations involved in EuroVelo devel- committees, which involve partners from ment, and solutions. opment projects but which are not yet localities along the route, and focus on formal NECC/Cs. areas with key deficiencies. rom reading previous ar- Although these committees ticles in Adventure Cyclist, vary in focus from route to route Fyou should be familiar with depending on their needs, what EuroVelo, the 70,000-kilometer they have in common is that au- European cycle route network. thorities from all along the route The planned routes pass through are involved and they make a fi- 42 different countries within the nancial contribution to the central European Union and beyond, so now coordination in order to ensure you might be wondering how this the longevity of the project. 2015 vast international project is actually will be the fifth year of formal realized on the ground? cooperation between 27 partner Managing such a large network organizations. A new agreement requires a decentralized approach. signed between partners in As such, one of the core responsibil- 2014 commits the partners to a ities of the European Cyclists’ Fed- three-year agreement with a total eration’s (ECF) staff in Brussels is to annual budget of €120,000. The develop and maintain the network of route is now 97 percent complete National EuroVelo Coordinators (NECs) Case Study: National Coordination in on the ground and longterm manage- and Coordination Centres (NECCs). It’s France ment tasks are divided between three these organizations, accredited by ECF, working groups: services for tourists, that carry out most of the work on the The huge success and proven eco- signposting and infrastructure, and image ground for financing, building, and main- nomic impact of routes such as the Loire and marketing. taining the network — as well as the very à Vélo has inspired increased invest- The final step in this process is collect- important task of winning the backing of ment from all levels of government. In ing data from the completed routes to national and regional governments. 2005, efforts to coordinate development give an idea of the success of attracting Recently, a new Coordination Centre of cycle networks at the European, target markets and calculating the total was officially established in the Republic national, and local levels took a leap economic impacts of cycle routes. of Ireland and prelimi- forward with the development of The data can be analyzed in more nary agreements were ■ SEE MORE ON3V, the National observatory detail by DRC or the French regions, who put in place to establish CASE STUDIES AT of cycle routes and greenways produce an annual usage monitoring these structures in ADVENTURECYCLING. (developpement-durable.gouv.fr/ report, including the automated data as Serbia and , which ORG/EUROVELO- Observatoire-Natioal-des-VVV. well as user surveys to present different will bring the total DEVELOPMENT html). This observatory is jointly user characteristics, the seasonality of number of countries operated by the French Ministry different routes, and the relative impact involved in the NECC/ for the Environment, the DRC (an of routes in rural, suburban, and urban Cs network to 26. association of local governments work- areas. The most advanced coordination bod- ing for cycling development) and AF3V Of course, this remains an ideal struc- ies, the NECCs, consist of a consortium (a bicycle users’ association working on ture, but it is one that is not immediately of different stakeholders with an interest greenways). It maintains data for each available for other countries throughout in developing the cycle route network in cycle route in France, including its cur- Europe, especially those with fewer that country – ideally it should include rent state of development, the quality of resources. In countries with a less-devel- representatives of cyclists’ organizations, its surface, and the dates of forthcoming oped cycling infrastructure and no pres- highways authorities, relevant govern- work on infrastructure. This means that ent national network, EuroVelo can act as mental ministries, service providers, detailed information, provided at the a backbone for the development of new and regional and local governments. In local level, can be publicly viewed either routes, particularly by attracting large- those countries where the coordination as an overview or in detail using online scale European funding to projects.

54 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 55 Life Member Profile

Larry O’Reilly BY ALEX STRICKLAND

Auto parts magnate’s business is transportation — much of it on two wheels

➺ LARRY O’Reilly is not a guy headlong, joining long-distance rides interested in going halfway. After and events like Pedal the Peaks, Tour graduating from southwest Missouri’s of Colorado, Ride the Rockies, and Drury University, he had to choose Adventure Cycling’s Cycle Montana. It between an offer from a huge, was on one of these rides that a group multinational company that promised of cross-country cyclists ended up in advancement, security, and a chance camp with O’Reilly’s group. to return to the Show-Me State after “I met these people and I thought, a decade or so of moving around or ‘Now that’s something I’d love to do,’” joining his father and grandfather and O’Reilly recalled. And being a man of their small but promising auto parts action, that’s exactly what he did — business. three times. “Even back then there was talk of With plenty of experience as both electric cars or turbine cars or things an avid recreational and touring

like that, and I wanted a chance to cyclist, O’Reilly tackled Adventure COURTESY LARRY O’REILLY grow and make some money and Cycling’s TransAm Trail and Great put down some roots,” O’Reilly said. Divide Mountain Bike Route each in “WHEN YOU CONNECT “My dad told me, ‘We’re not in the a single summer, then split the Sierra auto parts business, we’re in the Cascades Route into two summers to THESE DOTS ACROSS transportation business, and the public accommodate busy schedules — and a has a love affair with their vehicle, no few detours to take in seven national THE COUNTRY, YOU matter what it is.’” parks on or near the route. For O’Reilly currently the vice “When you connect these dots SEE SO MUCH YOU chairman of O’Reilly Auto Parts’ across the country, you see so much WOULDN’T SEE IF YOU Board of Directors after a career you wouldn’t if you drove the whole helping grow the company from a route,” he said. “The way you see the DROVE THE WHOLE single Springfield, Missouri, store to land at the speed of a bike is a great operating locations in 43 states, it way to see America.” ROUTE.” just so happens that the auto parts Seeing the country from a bicycle magnate is in love with bicycles. saddle along huge swaths of the O’Reilly — a scholarship basketball Adventure Cycling Route Network player in his college days — is what helped inspire O’Reilly to go rediscovered cycling around age 30 from a member of Adventure Cycling after years of pounding on the court — which he’s been for 20 years — to a and running started to take a toll on life member in 2013. his body. He jumped into the sport “I fell in love with the concept

56 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 LIFE MEMBERSHIP A lifetime of benefits and long-term support for bicycle travel.

Funds from the Life Membership program • Christiana Aguiar, New York, NY • Chris Guibert & Amy Oestreich, Calumet, MI are put into a special account to provide • Randall & Barbara Angell, Bothell, WA • Ruth Havican & Karen Holcomb, Missoula, MT long-term support for Adventure Cycling • Gerry Bird, Woodbury, MN • Darrell Hobson, Tuscaloosa, AL Association. In the past, these funds • Matthew Bond, Washington, DC • Scott & Delinda Hood, Arlington, VA have helped us purchase and update our • Leila Brammer, Minneapolis, MN • Steven Koch, Chicago, IL headquarters building, saving us thousands of • Peter Brandow, Newport Beach, CA • Kevin LaVerdiere, Youngsville, NC dollars in interest payments. • Ron Core, Ashland, AL • Elaine Leech, Manheim, PA If bicycle travel is an important part of • William & Christine DeLoache, Boiling • John Marchetti, Anchorage, AK your life, please consider making a lifetime Springs, PA • Ruth Miller & Linda Cathey, Eugene, OR commitment by joining as an Adventure • Nora M. Elliott, Anchorage, AK • Kathleen & Richard Quist, Dallas, TX Cycling Life Member. To find out more, visit • Jay Evans, Cape Elizabeth, ME • Michael Romain, Sunrise, FL adventurecycling.org/membership or give • John Fugett, Anchorage, AK • Fletcher Schneeflock, Easthampton, MA Julie Huck a call at 800.755.2453 x214. • Elizabeth Gemmill, Conshohocken, PA • David E. Shuey, West Chester, PA Thanks to these new life members who • Daniel Gerdts, Minneapolis, MN • Terry E. Vega, Steeleville, IL joined with their support in the last year: • Adam Greengrass, West Chester, PA • Jean M Willis, Cincinnati, OH

of Adventure Cycling supporting give people like me more riding who he met on what else? A bike tour, cycling, advancing new routes, opportunities.” of course. and having the right mindset for The 68-year-old isn’t planning “I’m not young, but I don’t expect what I was feeling very passionate to slow down, either, with an this one to be my last.” about myself,” he said. “The things unsupported tour of the Southern Tier Adventure Cycling is involved in Route from St. Augustine, Florida, to Alex Strickland is the Managing Editor of Adventure are always from a little different San Diego, California, planned for Cyclist magazine and most recently purchased an angle with the long-range plan to early summer 2015 with his girlfriend, alternator for a mid-90s Ford truck at O’Reilly Auto Parts.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 57 Final Mile Following a father’s footsteps

The Rest of the Story BY JOELLE BUFFA

➺ WHEN people ask how long I’ve Shore of Virginia. been cycling, I say it probably start- New perspectives and transformed ed in the womb. My love of cycling is relationships aren’t uncommon results of undoubtedly genetic. My parents met a cross-country tour. My story is unusual on a group ride of Chicago’s Crystal since Dad passed away 30 years ago. Cycle Club, an affiliate of the League of During my early grade-school days, American Wheelmen, in 1939. Growing Dad would meet me at noon on the up I listened to dinner-table stories corner near school. We would walk of their courtship days sharing bicy- home and eat lunch together while cle-train and bicycle-ferry rides. These listening to Paul Harvey’s News and excursions carried riders and their Comment on the radio. Paul Harvey’s wheels to scenic riding spots outside way of delivering the often quirky news the Chicago area. They had jumped bits in folksy language with dramatic on the bicycle bandwagon’s renewed intonations was my Dad’s favorite. Paul popularity of the 1930s. would begin each program with, “Hello Their riding dates notwithstanding, Americans, you know what the news is, Dad was a more hardcore cyclist than and in a minute you’re going to hear,” Mom. He liked to travel and couldn’t and after a dramatic pause, “the rest of afford a car during the Depression, the story.” Paul would set the hook for so in the 1930s he did a number of each story — a blend of mystery and long-distance bike tours. In 1937, history — at the start of the “Rest of 23-year-old Joseph Buffa rode around the Story,” which always contained an Lake Michigan — a distance of 1,350 unexpected twist or poignant ending to miles — in two weeks. I have a yellowed be delivered before he signed off with newspaper article about this journey his iconic clipped, “Good Day.” showing him on a single-speed racing Before leaving on our cross-coun- bicycle with his touring gear: a blan- try adventure, we paid a visit to Dad’s ket rolled around some extra clothes grave in Chicago. My father taught me strapped on top of a rear rack. His how to ride my first bike — a bright bicycle had wooden rims. Lightweight red one I got for Christmas just before and rainproof touring gear hadn’t been my fifth birthday. I’m not a religious or invented, but I remember Dad demon- spiritual person but it seemed appro- strating how he could pick up his priate to ask Dad to be on our side 22-pound racer with one finger. during our ride across the U.S. One of my few regrets in life is not I started holding him to that as having had the opportunity to develop we rode through Oregon in late May. a relationship with my father as an Locals assured us that it was the sog- adult, as I have enjoyed with my moth- giest spring in memory. Dad seemed er. That changed during the summer to be listening, though, because small of 2010 when my husband Clyde and I patches of blue sky usually followed us rode the TransAm Trail from Neskowin, around. Warm, dry cafés full of friendly, Oregon, to our home on the Eastern welcoming folks unexpectedly materi- CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1937 SUN-TIMES, CHICAGO

58 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 alized in the middle of nowhere during the worst downpours. By the middle of July we’d hit the flatlands of eastern Colorado and its 100-degree plus temperatures. We would ride in an oven for the next month. How was Dad going to pro- tect us now? Were we on our own? We congratulated ourselves about our decision, made when we were planning our trip, to sleep in a bed whenever possible and eat most of our meals in restaurants. Although we carried camping gear and used it when motels or cyclists’ lodging were unavailable along the TransAm, we slept in air-con- ditioned bliss most nights. One day, as I was sweating and puff- ing up one of the endless roller-coast- er hills in the Missouri , it hit me. I began to laugh. Clyde, worried the heat was getting to me, sent me a questioning glance. “The banana didn’t fall too far from the bunch,” I grinned. Concern growing he replied, “Here, if you’re out of bananas, you can have one of mine — but in this heat you should probably drink more water.” Excited about my startling insight, I babbled, “You know, we’re doing this tour exactly in Dad’s style.” I recited a remembered quote from that yellowed newspaper article, “I don’t camp out nor TOMAHAWK LEADER (WI), 1937 (WI), LEADER TOMAHAWK do I cook my own meals,” Joe Buffa had said. “The former is too uncomfortable and latter takes too much time.” snapped gear cable stopped us in Sonora, few minutes, allowing Clyde to replace Making our way through Kansas, I Kentucky. We were 12 miles short of our the cable with the spare from our tool recalled that one summer during the intended destination. Our Adventure kit. Depression Dad rode from Chicago to Cycling maps indicated that Sonora So, what are the odds of breaking Kansas and back to work on a farm. I had neither motel nor campground. We down on the road in front of a retired never learned much about that trip, but found shelter under the awning of the tool-and-die maker’s store? How did it I hoped he’d had the good sense to avoid Blanchard’s Family Salvage Grocery. I happen that someone who had never July. I also wished he was still around to went inside to buy a snack while Clyde invited cyclists into their home, even ask about the route he had taken, and if worked unsuccessfully at removing the though Mr. Blanchard said he’d, “seen he’d resorted to camping in the pleasant broken-off bit of cable with his emergen- plenty over the years and had wondered small town parks like we did. cy tool kit. about their travels,” would do so on that It was in Kentucky, a state that Dad Upon hearing our predicament, the day? had never mentioned cycling through, store’s proprietor Al Blanchard called Dad was a tool-and-die maker for over that I felt the strongest bond with him. his wife Ann to ask if he could bring 40 years. And now, as Paul Harvey would It was August 14, our 66th riding day home stranded cyclists for dinner and say, you know the rest of the story. and our fourth straight week of riding the night. It was our first home stay of in 100-degree heat. We’d dubbed that the trip. After a wonderful dinner, which Joelle Buffa is a retired wildlife biologist. Her self- day the “Tour de Mini-Mart” because included vegetables from their garden, supported bicycle tours have included New Zealand, we stopped at every small gas station/ Al — a retired tool-and-die maker — set part of the Northern Tier, and the Great Parks North Route from Missoula to Jasper. In 2012, she cycled grocery/deli along the way to buy a cold about fixing Clyde’s bike problem. He around Lake Michigan, with husband Clyde Morris drink, snack, or sandwich; anything had a full shop with the tools of his trade and friend Ken Wild, to commemorate the 75th for an excuse to seek refuge from the in his garage. Al un-jammed the broken anniversary of her father’s ‘Round Lake Michigan heat. Then at 5:00 pm, a downpour and end of the cable from the housing in a ride in 1937.

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64 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 KATY TRAIL BICYCLE TOUR August 30 – CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 is magnificent. The gentle and constant September 5, 2015 Following Lewis and Clark’s SOLO CYCLING rhythm of the pedals, the sun on your route, this flat and totally traffic-free tour is face, and the wind on your back give you on America’s longest Rails to Trails. This fully supported tour, which includes daily route sheets head. Try not to arrive at a new a sense of freedom you can’t experience and SAG stops, over-nights in B&B’s and Historic destination at night. Make sure your body any other way. Hotels. All breakfasts and dinners as well as language is in line with your thinking. In many places, it’s still very much lodging included. Tour starts just outside of St. Certain gestures like touching someone’s a man’s world, but don’t let fear or Louis where you will be returned upon completion arm when you are chatting may make apprehension stop you from gearing up. of the tour. You deserve to be PAMPERED! Details from BubbasPamperedPedalers.com or a person think you’re romantically Women have been cycling solo all around [email protected]. interested in them rather than just the world since Annie Londonderry friendly. set off in 1895 on a man’s bike in men’s SEPTEMBER ESCAPADE™ TRIRI® September The challenge of traveling alone is clothes. Cycling has come a long way 20-25, 2015 Scenic, historic tour of south central finding a balance between being assertive since then, and if she could do it with all Indiana with inn or camping overnights at Indiana State Parks, two layover days, and ten catered and keeping an open heart. As a woman the 19th century’s restrictions, you can do meals. Contact: 812-333-8176; [email protected]; or and a cyclist, be vigilant, be careful, and it now. www.triri.org. have contingency plans in place. There is no reason you should be afraid of cycling Steph Mann is a journalist who loves all things FLORIDA KEYS HOTEL TRIP Fully supported, cycling related and believes bikes bring people, outstanding hotel accommodations, DoubleTree anywhere if you take certain precautions. The world is big, and exploring it by bike families, and communities together. Follow her on by Hilton, Holiday Inn Express, Hampton Inn. Twitter at @stephother. 6-day trip December 7-12, 2015. Key Largo to Key West & back. Stunning beach scenery, great meals, 2 layover days in Key West. Only $950.00. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 ; horribly disfigured and diseased www.floridakeysbikeride.com, 847-309-4740, TOURING THE DEVELOPING WORLD [email protected]. homeless people who have been shunned by their families and the rest 24TH ANNUAL OATBRAN One Awesome places it’s a part of what keeps the local of society; children digging through Tour Bike Ride Across Nevada, Sept. 27-Oct. 3, economy and social structure ticking. the piles of garbage that surround the 2015. “America’s Loneliest Bike Tour” is a fully At borders, tourist sites, and public cardboard shacks they call home. supported motel-style tour across US Hwy. 50, 420 miles, border to border, from Lake Tahoe to the transport, you’ll find “administration It’s hard to know how to act in the Great Basin National Park. Limited to 50 riders. fees,” “tourist surcharges,” and “visitor face of extreme poverty. Given the For more info: BiketheWest.com. taxes.” The problem is that it’s often hard magnitude of the problem, the feelings to tell how legitimate these levies are. of helplessness can be overwhelming. SEPTEMBER 2015 RIDE ACROSS AMERICA FAST Southern Transcontinental. Join My best advice is to do what the One thing you need to do is take a Transcontinental Record Holders Lon locals do and accept it within reason. stance on the issue of giving to beggars. Haldeman & Susan Notorangelo for your cycling If a government official asks for Some people say that the practice adventures. Specializing in Arizona Training five bucks to cross a border, accept it results in the destitute becoming reliant Camps, Northern Trans-con 2016, Pacific Crest, and pay it with a smile on your face, on benefactors. On the other hand, your Eastern Mountains. Over 80 cross-country events since 1981 PAC Tour, www.pactour. knowing that it’s the easiest way to heavy heart and the knowledge that you com, 262.736.2453. get to the other side. If a traffic cop can feed this social outcast for a day or fines you $50 for not wearing a helmet two may make it too hard to refuse. KATY TRAIL “EPICUREAN” More than spinning on your scooter in a country where You should note that, whether you’re the pedals! Immerse yourself in history and quaint scooters typically carry four helmetless inspired by religion, a strong sense towns in this intimate tour along the nation’s longest continuous rail-trail. Lodging includes family members and a pet goat, then of community, or the fact that there historic hotels/B & B’s. Wineries, microbreweries you should probably negotiate. If that are often no social welfare programs & unique attractions. September/October doesn’t work, refuse. They accept that in place in these countries, giving to departures. [email protected] or refusals are part of the game and don’t beggars is central to the cultures of [email protected] or 573.380.7875 let them dampen their spirits. Show many developing nations. CYCLE WASHINGTON June 28-July 5, 2015 - On these officials some resistance and this fabulous tour through the Pacific Northwest they’ll often back down and move on Final Advice you’ll get some of the most scenic landscapes in to some other unsuspecting chump. Finally, here’s the number one rule Washington, from the lush forests of the Cascade for bicycle touring through developing Range’s western flank to the arid plains of the eastern slope. You’ll visit Stevens Pass and Lake Extreme Poverty countries: When in doubt, do as the Wenatchee State Park via the Cascades, the Unfortunately, poverty is a painful locals do. Bavarian-themed hamlet of Leavenworth, and the reality in all countries. But only in apple orchards of the Methow River to Winthrop. the developing world will you be Damian Antonio is an ex-engineer who threw in the You’ll climb along the magnificent North Cascades consistently exposed to extreme nine-to-five life to become a freelance adventure Highway, summiting both Washington and Rainy poverty. And the form it takes can be travel writer. He spent two years cycling from Pass. Don’t miss the great Northwest adventure! Malaysia to Turkey and continues to cycle, , $1199. adventurecycling.org/tours. very in-your-face: double amputees trek, and camp throughout his home in Australia. pushing themselves around on wooden

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 65 Companions Wanted Providing partners for tours, domestic and abroad, since 1978

TEENS CROSSING AMERICA We are a small and taking about three months. Meandering more information. I reside in Colorado. Happy group of teens and adults looking to cycle from route from Gulf of Mexico in Piney Woods region trails! [email protected] Astoria, Oregon, to Point Pleasant, New Jersey, of Texas to northern Minnesota, ending with a June 16 - August 15 on a van-supported journey week-long trip in Boundary Waters. Taking PACIFIC NORTHWEST — SUMMER 2015 across America. No camping! We are supporting advantage of scenic highways, historic spots, and Washington State native seeking companion(s) research to cure Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy state parks. Smelling the roses with no definite to ride Washington Parks 1/2, or other PacNW (DMD). Looking for more teens to join the ride, schedule or route. Self-Contained, camping and routes. I traveled the state on family car trips ages 14-19. [email protected] WarmShowers, with occasional motels when as a child and now want to revisit by bicycle. necessary. Looking for several people any age I’m a fairly fit, 55-year-old female, have ridden SAN FRANSISCO TO ST. AUGUSTINE — or gender for all or part of the ride. brian@ centuries and Seattle-to-Portland, but prefer SUMMER 2015 I’m a 54-year-old male high- domeglass.com 40-60 mile days at a moderate pace. Haven’t been school teacher with summers off. I’m planning a camping since 4th grade summer camp, but want cross-country bike tour starting in San Francisco LEWIS & CLARK / NORTHERN TIER Looking to learn. [email protected] June 7, and ending in Ft. Lauderdale August 15, for companions to ride from Portland, Oregon, 2015. I am looking for a partner, or more, to travel to Chicago, Illinois. This is the second half of DENVER OR BUST Experienced long-distance with. Mostly camping, some WarmShowers, and a cross-country tour for me. I would like to tourer (including cross-country, Portland to San some hotels/motels, minimal cost. The route leave around the first week of August but am Francisco, and Sierras), but not a hardbody jock, will follow the Western Express with a detour to flexible with time. I plan on camping as much as 70, planning to ride the TransAm Trail part way Pike’s Peak. Then continuing on the TransAm to possible and ride about 50-plus miles a day. I’m from Astoria, Oregon, to Denver (not Pueblo) to Memphis (Graceland) and on to the Underground 70 years old and have made other tours before. visit my daughter who just moved there. Want Railroad to connect with the Southern Tier to [email protected] to go partly self-contained (No camping, just Florida. This will be my first cross-country bike motels and WarmShowers). Hope to start early ride so I’m open to suggestions and advice. I plan ITALY’S COASTLINE I have had a lifelong dream June 2015, ride about 60-70 miles a day (but will on biking 60-75 miles a day with some 100-mile- of traveling Europe, especially Italy. I never really be open to stopping to explore special places). plus days if possible. [email protected] considered doing it on a bicycle until two years Looking for other riders for part or all of trip. ago when I traveled around Spain and had a blast! [email protected] SUPPORTED TOUR — YORKTOWN TO I would welcome anyone interested in this or SEASIDE My wife and I are planning a who has more information. I would like to do it PACIFIC COAST - FALL 2015 Female, 48, supported tour leaving Yorktown, Virginia, on in summer 2015. I have lots of ideas, but taking looking for companions to ride from Washington May 14, heading to to Hartford, Illinois, on the it slowly to taste the culture is paramount. I am a to San Diego, California, with a mixture of TransAmerica Trail, then to Seaside, Oregon, on 50-year-old male and am in good shape. Let’s get camping/motels. 40-60 miles a day with a few the Lewis & Clark Trail, arriving about July 7. talking! [email protected] days off here and there. Relaxed pace. mimi. I’m an experienced 65-year-old bicycle tourist. [email protected] I would like some companions for all or part of INTERMOUNTAIN/GREAT DIVIDE Fit female the trip. She would like some company driving experienced and adventurous cyclotourist/hiker Adventure Cycling Association assumes, but can- the support van. If interested in either part, let us seeking optimistic companions to join me on self- not verify, that the persons above are truthfully know. [email protected] contained bike journey on Idaho Hot Springs/ representing themselves. Ads are free to Adventure Great Divide Mountain Bike Route for 3-5 weeks Cycling members. You can see more ads and post TAIL WIND RIDE Piney Woods, Texas, to North leaving in July/August 2014. Flexible about them at adventurecycling.org/adventure-cyclist/ Woods, Minnesota. 37-year-old experienced route, dates, mileage, must-sees, and must-dos. companions-wanted or send them to Adventure touring cyclist biking 30-80 miles per day with Prefer mostly camping, own cooking, and rare Cyclist, P.O. Box 8308, Missoula, MT 59807. occasional layovers. Starting in late April 2015 restaurants. Please contact me if interested or for

66 ADVENTURE CYCLIST a pr il 2015 Open Road Gallery

No. 4602 1 .indd 2014-185_BrickeyPostCard COURTESY OF JOHN WEISS JOHN OF COURTESY Chris The Worm Farmer Chicago, IL to Eureka, CA Chris The Worm Farmer In 1911, M.E.A. Chicago, IL to Eureka, CA Lasley (above) rode across the country. In 2014, Christo- To help pay for this pher Brickley sold and other wander- souvenir postcards ings, he sold copies (above) to help of this postcard. recover his losses from a theft.

It’s all in the cards PHOTOGRAPH BY GREG SIPLE STORY BY GAGE POORE

10/3/14 11:36 AM 11:36 10/3/14 Chris The Worm Farmer ➺ CHRISTOPHER BRICKEY is passionate about worms — specifically the red worms used in a Chris The Worm Farmer Bicycle Eclectic process called vermi-composting where worms are used to convert organic waste into compost.Chicago, On IL to Eureka,Bring the CA Bicycle Eclectic traveling Chicago, IL to Eureka, CA Adventure Cycling’s his first long-distance bicycle trip, from Chicago, Illinois, to Eureka, California, during the summer of traveling exhibition portrait exhibition to 2014, Chris promoted the composting technique while visiting organic farms, permaculture sites, and of photos from the your town. Contact backyard gardens. Chris wrote, “I desperately wanted to visit Paul Wheaton’s (permaculture site) in National Bicycle Greg Siple for Missoula, so really the route was planned around that.” Touring Collection more information: can be seen at While visiting the Adventure Cycling Headquarters he wrote, “I have been taking my time, staying in gsiple@adventure The Art Gallery at Missoula and enjoying all the gardening things that are going on. I worked on a farm for a week and got cycling.org Umpqua Commu- a job making a sidewalk out of river rock.” While shopping at Walmart, Chris’s entire rig was stolen, and nity College, 1140 although his bicycle was eventually recovered, much of his gear was not. “It was very uncomfortable Umpqua College Road, Roseburg, and inconvenient (to say the least), and I lost some sentimental things,” Chris wrote. “I could say the Oregon. The exhibit theft was the best and worst thing that happened to me. It was a good lesson in being unattached. I will run from March got publicity and a story for my blog, received an outpouring of support, and was able to develop some 31 - May 2, 2015. relationships further than would have otherwise been possible.” For more informa- To help recover from the loss, and inspired by the 2014 history issue of Adventure Cyclist (see caption tion, email above left), Chris had postcards made displaying the portrait that Greg Siple took in Missoula that artgallery@ he would sell along the remainder of his route. He estimated giving out around 400. “Whenever I umpqua.edu. went to a farmer’s market, I would offer them to people for a dollar, but actual donations varied wildly See more portraits at from change to $200. I also handed them out to people who helped me. People thought they were adventurecycling. cool and I wonder how many are hanging on refrigerator doors.” Chris completed his journey and is org/gspg back home in Northfield, Minnesota. For more on his journey and vermi-composting business, visit christhewormfarmer.com.

From Adventure Cycling’s National Bicycle Touring Portrait Collection. © 2015 Adventure Cycling Association.

ADVENTURECYCLING.ORG 67 Non-profit Adventure Cycling Association U.S. POSTAGE P.O. Box 8308 PAID Missoula, Montana 59807-8308 Adventure Cycling Association

America’s Bicycle Travel Experts maps tours gear resources Questions?· 800.755.2453· · www.adventurecycling.org GREG SIPLE Discover the Rivers, Lakes and Trails of the Midwest! MANDY HALE MANDY

Great Lakes Self Contained, June 7-17 Family Fun, Minnesota-Paul Bunyan Trail, August 2-7 Minnesota-Wisconsin Rivers & Trails, June 13-20 Great Lakes Relaxed, September 12-19 Southern Ohio Relaxed, July 11-17 Michigan Lakeshore Loop, September 12-19

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