Features

• By Darren Dencklau

  Mayor McGinn's Plan for Seawall Improvements

  On January 14, 2010, Seattle Mayor Mike McGinn spoke at the old Washington Street Public Boat Landing, across from Bicycle Paper's offices. He was there for a press conference regarding the deteriorating seawall near downtown’s waterfront. So what does it mean to Seattle taxpayers and downtown bicycle commuters?

• By Jana Moseley

  An Evening With Tyler Farrar

  Home from Belgium for Thanksgiving, the Washington native packed his week full of appearances, including a meet and greet at Cycle U in Seattle. Fans lined up for pictures, autographs and a quick chat with the local hero. He even took the time to speak with young aspiring cyclists, fanning the flame for the next generation.

• By Darren Dencklau (Intro) / Product Review by Tai Lee

  Ride It, Pack It, Eat It and What’s Dutch for Durable?

  In this month’s issue of Bicycle Paper we feature an extensive product review section. With so many great cycling-specific goods on the market it’s easy to be overwhelmed by which ones to choose from. We have tested lots of gear in 2009 and have elected to highlight some of our favorites, starting with WorkCycles' Secret Service Bicycle.

• By Darren Dencklau

  SealLine Urban Backpack - Keeping the Elements Out

  Bicycle commuters need something that effectively carries their gear and can withstand the rigors of inclement weather. SealLine, known for their bombproof dry bags, created a backpack for just that. If you’re looking for something that will keep your gear dry and is really comfortable, even on the longest of commutes, this one does so in spades.

• By Jay Stilwell

  Moots Tailgator Divides the Load

  The Tailgator by Moots features a titanium frame that attaches to the seat post, 400-cubic inches of storage divided between an upper and lower bag, and loads of versatility. Moots has created all this within a lightweight package. After using the Tailgator for a series of long road rides, the conclusion is that this bag is well worth the investment, although there were a couple of features that would be nice to have....

• By Darren Dencklau

  Primal Strips — Jerky with a Conscious

  In today’s steroid and hormone crazed meat industry, it’s often hard to discern what is “healthy” and what is not. So when Primal Spirit Foods sent us a dozen Primal Strips, the Bicycle Paper staff was more than happy to do an intensive taste test.

• By Claire Bonin

  Bring Fashion to your Handlebars

  The Zwei bag looks more like a nice handbag than your typical handlebar bag. Functional yet stylish, it can be taken off the handlebar attachment in a click. The 5-liter volume (11.5” wide x 9.5” high x 3.5” deep) provides ample room to pack your lunch, a book, wallet, keys and more. Two strong magnets sewn into the flaps close the handles and a second set keep the folding top secure to the front panel.

• By Darren Dencklau

  Squirt Lube — a Biodegradable Hit / Sweatsucker - Does The Job

  The kind folks at Bikinventions recently sent the Bicycle Paper staff a few bottles of Squirt Lube to test on our own bikes. This past summer I used the lube extensively on both my commuter bike and my singlespeed mountain bike, which included a few Wednesday Night World Championship races at Seattle’s South Seatac Park and a self-supported bike tour in Canada.

• By Darren Dencklau

  Craft Performance Rain Knickers - Does Not Include Vintage Jersey

  In case you haven’t noticed, it has been raining lately. In fact, every morning commute this past week was done in the rain. The latest in Craft’s foul weather condition products, I tested their Performance Bike Rain Knickers, and couldn’t be happier with how they have performed. The pants are waterproof, lightweight, breathable and fitted for the intricacies of cycling movements.

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Opinion

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  Gone To The Dogs

  Panic, adrenaline, flight, that brief window when you don’t know if you’ll outrun chomping canines, until a final kick of speed and a few braveheart howls gets you over. Few activities shock the monkey like a good sprint to safety ... allowing you to live more fully in the present.

• By Maynard Hershon

  Stupid is as Stupid Does

  She rode on the left side of the path, the wrong side, the side oncoming cyclists, skaters and runners use. There was no reason for her choice of the left side, but that’s where she’d stay. Occasionally, she’d drift to the right but soon she’d be back on the left. I remember wondering if she drives her car on the wrong side of the highway.

• By Meghan McCausland

  Custom Bicycles: A Passionate Pursuit - Book Review

  “A bicycle frame builder is no ordinary man. He has given man the ability to travel under his own power at speeds in excess of 100 kilometers per hour.” The book features 39 builders from Australia, Europe and the United States. Colorful photos of handcrafted bicycles fill up over 200 pages, some as beautiful, sleek and thin as a Calvin Klein model.

• By Jana Moseley

  Bicycle Dreams: The Race Across America

  The Race Across America (RAAM) is seen as the single most difficult challenge in the endurance cycling world. It is a testament to the human spirit and the pinnacle of physical limits. Of all who attempt, less than half will finish. For those who do complete the race it’s the accomplishment of a lifetime.

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  Mud, Sweat and Gears: A Rowdy Family’s Canadian Adventure on Seven Wheels

  We got the jump on James, but he came roaring back. It’s quite difficult to outpace a 16-foot, 438-pound bike train going downhill. The Metal Cowboy's second installment of James and the Giant Peach Bicycle.

• By Maynard Hershon

  Put in Some Distance

  Cyclists are different. We feel unjustly persecuted on the road, abused by callous motorists. So we ride tense, anger barely suppressed, tight-jawed, primed, ready for someone, anyone, to offend, so we can act out that anger. Why are we so tense?

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  Mud, Sweat and Gears: A Rowdy Family’s Canadian Adventure on Seven Wheels

  Nothing so large and exuberant has ever gotten the jump on me, at least not in broad daylight, during good weather while riding a bicycle with not one, but three clean, unobstructed views through rear facing mirrors.... Yet, there he was, just off my left as if beamed in from the planet of gigantic Irishmen.

• By Maynard Hershon

  The Natural

  As I lean my old Lighthouse bicycle against the railing, a guy at the next table ... asks me if I had the bike made. He’d asked about my Lighthouse as an icebreaker, but he’s not interested in it except as it relates to his search.

• By Joe Kurmaskie

  Into Africa to Help the Kids

  When August rolls around and the summer is ripe and full in this hemisphere, after we’ve wrapped up another season of trips for Camp Creative, I will travel halfway around the world to help raise awareness and funds for a program that, in many ways, mirrors the one we’ve started in the Pacific Northwest.

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