Touring the States on Two Wheels: Victoria’s Ride

Victoria on her bike.

Last month fate (and couchsurfing.org) brought a special guest to my door. I’m normally very selective about who I choose to host on couchsurfing, perusing their profile and references with care, but when I got Victoria’s request, I couldn’t email her back fast enough. Riding from Boston to LA by bike? on her own? In four months? this was a person I wanted to have a conversation with.

Intelligent and inspiring, Victoria  did not disappoint. It only took a few minutes’ conversation for me to feel comfortable enough to invite her to a girls’ night with a good friend of mine — and to know that I wanted to share her story with LGRAB readers. So I emailed her a few questions, asking her to answer as time permitted from the road. For more on Victoria’s epic ride (as I write, she’s made it to Texas!) check out her blog.

What inspired you to take this trip?
Generally I just love adventure and long-distance feats of endurance. I’ve done a couple week-long hiking trips, a two-mile ocean swim in New England in November (brrrr!), and attempted to walk 100K in one day with my brother (I only finished half of it before my body shut down on me.)

I can pinpoint a couple of sources of inspiration for the cross-country bike tour specifically:

1. I started using my bike for transportation when I moved to Boston for college in 1994, and found I really enjoyed getting around on a bike.
2. I grew up just off Route 20, the longest road in the US, which goes from Boston to Oregon and has all kinds of cool little towns and tourist attractions along it. I always thought it would be fun to travel the whole thing, either by biking or driving really slowly.
3. I have an uncle who rode horseback from our hometown in upstate New York to Wyoming. Sort of captures your imagination when you’re 8 years old.

Tell us about your touring setup (bike, panniers, etc.) and how you chose it.
I have only ever ridden mountain bikes around the city, and knew nothing about road bikes or touring when I started preparing for this trip. I got online and did some research, mostly reading other people’s blogs and equipment lists, and came up with a list of Things to Care About When Bike Touring. These included:

A Real Community

The best part of blogging is meeting (virtually and in real life) so many cool people who share my passion for cycling. A community of like-minded folks is invaluable: I may have been the only bike commuter at my office, but I was never alone. This weekend was packed full of visitors from the online cycling community, and I had a great time.

There’s so much for me to cover, including the people I met, the cocktail party ride, new Gazelles at Dutch Bike Chicago, and the temperature dropping into the 30’s. I’ll start with the visitors.

Velorbis and Elisa at Copenhagen Cyclery

Bike Skirt in Chicago!

Elisa of Bike Skirt fame is visiting from Alabama. And yes, we are now simultaneously blogging. I met Elisa in Nashville at the Garden Party Ride, but felt like I already knew her as a bike blog friend :)

Elisa and Betty Foy look tres chic together. I need a matching scarf! While I consider Betty my “racing” bike, Elisa kindly reminded me that the description is not quite accurate, compared to her drop bar bikes. Just wait ’til I get her on Oma!

Future Album Cover

Anyone who reads our blogs knows that rain would not keep us off our bikes, so we set off for downtown via the Lakefront Trail, despite the steady rain.

Being Totally Sweet in Chicago

Today Being Totally Sweet in Chicago featured an interview with yours truly. That’s right: I’m officially totally sweet!

BTSIC, a blog about “riding bicycles, sampling culinary delights and getting sloshed on the finest of booze,” is a daily read for me. (Obviously, I am the target demographic.) Even for those who don’t live in Chicago, there’s lots of great information.

A sampling of my favorite bike-related posts:

Bike buying secrets of the commuting elite
Bike pub crawl in 7 easy steps
How to bike in the city, Part I and Part II
Chicago winter cycle chic

Thanks, Ira! I had fun drinking beer and talking bikes and blogs.

Featuring: Martha and Her New Oma

Fellow Chicagoan Martha (chibikegal) commented that “after stumbling onto your lovely blog, I was motivated to re-start my search for a beautiful bike.” Soon she purchased a shiny new Azor Oma made by Workcycles, the same as mine. She very kindly responded to my request for pictures and her cycling story. Read on for the goods, including a bike-themed wedding cake, $10 train station bikes, and a glimpse of Henry of Workcycles as a high school student.

Martha and Her New Oma

Sookie!

Trisha, Mr. Dottie and I are all huge True Blood fans. Not only do we watch and then discuss in length the HBO series starring Anna Paquin, but the two of them also read the Charlaine Harris book series. So I must post these fab pictures of Ms. Paquin and say in my best Bill voice: SOOKIE!

I don’t quite understand celebrities’ obsession with these Nirve cruisers. They are cute and only about $300, but there are plenty of other bikes I’d be riding if I were rich and famous!

As seen on Cyclelicious.

Made in the USA: Greenbeard Trailers

One of the best things about the Internet is when it lets you keep up with old friends, especially when it means discovering you have a common interest. Last week a high school friend of mine, who now lives in Missoula, Montana, blogged about how she and her partner, “the Handyman,” had started a business: building bicycle trailers!

Daisy pulls the "skinny legs" trailer.

According to the GreenBeard Trailers website (designed by Daisy) the “Skinny Legs” weighs only 16 pounds but can haul up to 125 pounds. It’s made of aluminum and impact-resistant plastic. The Skinny Legs is the standard model, but they’re also willing to customize it. If you’re wondering what the “GreenBeard” name is all about, here’s their explanation:

It’s a fancy science theory that explains why ants and bees and even beer yeast are helpful and nice to each other; even if they’re not related.

We think that’s kind of cool.  And we want to contribute to all that helpful kindness that goes on among bikers.  That’s why we’ve started GreenBeard Trailers.  Because we think that there’d be even more people out on their bicycles if they had enough room to cart groceries or construction supplies or library books or whatever you need to carry that can’t fit in that spiffy basket you have on your handlebars.

Love it! It’s always fun to see independent businesses like this popping up, and even better when one belongs to someone you know. Now if I decide I need a trailer, I know where to go. Has anyone tried out a trailer?

Emma’s Custom Ride

About a month ago, reader Emma Alvarez Gibson mentioned that our site, in combination with her husband’s bike-savvy, was inspiring her to get on a bike again.

Recently, that day came: her husband Roger gave her a gorgeous bike he customized himself for their 10th anniversary. We should all marry such a man. ;-) Emma kindly shared some pictures of her new ride with us.

Emma and her new friend

Emma rides in the LA suburb of San Pedro, just a mile from the ocean. As a freelance writer, she doesn’t have much of a commute, but she does plan on using her new bike to go to local coffee shops, where she writes and holds business meetings. Emma explains, “I’ve ridden a few miles along the coast thus far and I’m really pleased with the way it rides. And of course I’m completely in love with riding. Most things one enjoys as a child lose their charm in adulthood; riding a bike seems only to have gotten more charming.” Definitely a sentiment I can get behind.

The Chai Cyclist Buys An Azor

Two Azors

Today I had the pleasure of meeting a fellow blogger of Chai Cyclist and Icicle Bicycle fame. He’s visiting Chicago from Minneapolis to buy an Azor Transport from Dutch Bike Chicago. (They’re running a swift business, selling three bikes while I was there, including a bakfiets.) Mr. Dottie and I met him and his cousin at the shop and then all went for a ride on the Lakefront Trail, stopping for ice cream at Navy Pier. The light rain was just enough to keep the trail from being crowded, but not enough to keep our group of year-round riders away. A lovely way to spend a Saturday. Enjoy cruising in comfort and style!

Tara and her Azor Swan

Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely Tara. I saw her by the trail with her Azor Swan and had to pull over to talk to her. She bought the Swan six weeks ago and loves it. She said she probably saw me around before and has stumbled across this blog. Today I realized that I have seen her before – I was riding home before a Cubs game and she was holding a parking sign (you can get good money for letting someone park in your space on a game day if you live close enough to Wrigley Field). I went by and she called out, “Yay, Dutch bike, I have one of those.” At least, I think that was her. Mr. Dottie thinks so. Very cool. If you’re out there, Tara, say hi :)

Cyclist’s First …

There are some milestones that every cyclist experiences: first time riding to work, first time riding in the rain, first time yelling at a driver, etc. Warm and fuzzy memories. Today, Melissa experienced her first time yelling at a driver: “Thanks for almost hitting me!!!!” He totally deserved it for nearly side-swiping her. This is generally a positive development, I think. It means the cyclist is becoming confident with her skills and space on the road: she knows who’s at fault. My first time yelling at a driver was after he ran a stop sign, nearly hitting me before slamming on his brakes: “HEEEEY! Stop at the stop sign! Please.” I was more scared than angry and my consolation was that the female passenger had a look of terror on her face. Made me feel a little better.

Here are some happy pictures from Melissa, who is still going strong with Smurfette. She cycles to work most days, happy to leave the frustrating car commute behind! (Read about her beginning here.)

Smurfette Says Hi

Cyclist's First Panda Shot!

Do you remember your first time yelling at a driver?

Do you have any other milestones to add to the “cyclist’s first” list?

Let’s hear them!

Emily and Maria: Making Fab Bike Bags in Chicago

On my morning commute last Thursday, stopping at a bike-to-work week station, I met two cool girls doing a lot for stylish cycling. Emily and Maria are friends who got inspired to create bicycle bags that reflect their personal styles. The result is Po Campo, a line of made in Chicago rack and handlebar bags that look just as good off the bike as on. They are impeccably designed and constructed – hands down the best stylish bike bags I have ever seen. I was so impressed that I wanted to learn more about their history with design and cycling. Read on for that, plus tips for new cyclists and the joy of riding a bike.

What inspired you to create these bags?

Maria and I have been biking for years and never really felt like we fit into the demographics. We saw Po Campo as a great opportunity to use our design background to come out with products that were functional for biking, but still fit our style.

Beautiful Bicycles: Sweetpea JJ Fantastic Mixte

JJ sure looks happy, with good reason! She is the proud owner of the first Sweetpea Mixte, which has taken its place in Sweetpea’s Love Line as the JJ Fantastic. What a gorgeous bicycle! And how fabulous to have a badass bike like this handmade in Portland by a woman! Natalie Ramsland, the builder, and her husband Austin operate Sweetpea Bicycles to “build bikes for women” with the idea that “Every woman is different. Every bike should be too.” By the look of their finished products, that line easily could be “Every woman is beautiful. Every bike should be too.” Check out JJ’s mixte and then check out Sweetpea Bicycles if you are considering a custom bike and have been squirreling away the cash for a long while.

Sarah’s Unique and Stylish City Bike

The best thing about this blog is hearing from other cyclists through comments and emails. Recently, we got an email from Sarah about her new and very cool bike Sapphire.

Sarah and Sapphire

Sarah’s husband recently bought her this bike on Craigslist, made by Aarios in Switzerland. Does anybody know anything else about this bike or Aarios?

Melissa’s Report from the Newbie Trenches

It’s a crazy world out there for beginning bike commuters.  I remember how confusing and stressful my first couple of rides were and all I had to do was go over and down on a bike path.  After I gave Melissa custody of Smurfette last month, she planned to start bike commuting when she moved to a new apartment closer to work in the Chicago suburb of Aurora. And she did!

Makeshift bike lane - temporary detour from bike trail

Unfortunately, the first try did not go smoothly at all. In fact, it sounded pretty awful and enough to turn off most people from bike commuting forever.

Exclusive: Grandma Rides a Bike

One of our most loyal readers is my grandma. She lives in Salem, Massachusetts and – to my surprise – bought a folding bike last week. I decided to take this opportunity to learn more about her history with bikes. Without further ado, I present a Let’s Go Ride a Bike exclusive: very special interview with Gram.

Gram Folding Bike - Jahon

What made you decide to buy a bike?

I hadn’t ridden in a long time but you inspired me to start again.

Most Fun You Can Have on Two Wheels

Much fuss is made in cycling circles about the factors that keep people from bike commuting: lack of safe parking, no showers at work, unsafe streets, etc. Sometimes, however, the biggest challenge is much more fundamental: being scared to ride a bike. Not scared of traffic or anything like that; scared of the bike itself. Starting, stopping, staying upright, wobbling, and turning all create reasons to stress for those who have not ridden a bike since childhood. Such was the case for Dottie when she started riding again after more than 10 years, and for my friend and former college roommate Kristi, who was visiting this weekend along with the Dotties. Despite having led ski groups and trail rides–talk about something to fear!–Kristi was a bit intimidated at the thought of being on two wheels.

Kristi Rides a Bike

Luckily, such fear is easily overcome for those willing to give it a try. Check out Kristi turning the fear to fun ratio upside down with Dottie’s helpful guidance and me yapping in the background.

more about “Kristi “, posted with vodpod

From here, we took it to the streets and she was amazing. Come back and ride the Bat anytime, K!

Fabulous Guest Cycle Chic!

In the comments of my cocktail party post, JJ shared a link to pictures of her and her husband Mac looking FABULOUS on bikes.

Thanks to your inspiration, we biked to the “prom” (aka elementary school auction) this weekend and had a blast.

These pictures are gorgeous and I simply had to ask for her permission to create a post devoted to them.