THE CHAINBREAKER BIKE BOOK: A ROUGH GUIDE TO BICYCLE MAINTENANCE Shelley Lynn Jackson and Ethan Clark Microcosm Publishing, 2008, 256 pages DESPITE BEING WRITTEN FOR bicyclists wanting to develop the independence repairing one’s bicycle provides, particularly those longing for the simpler life the utilitarian bicycle offers, The Chainbreaker Bike Book: A Rough Guide to Bicycle […]
If you’ve visited Sandpoint only during the summer, you don’t know what you’ve been missing. There’s a reason this town of nearly 7,000 souls on Lake Pend Oreille has received a swarm of national notice. Sunset magazine labeled it the number eight “dream town” in the west, calling it “a four season outdoorsy resort that’s
Sandpoint Sans Summer Read More »
I recently got a new road bike that can take pretty fat tires. After writing about the joys of “underbiking” a couple months ago, my buddies have enjoyed busting my chops about my new fat-tired road bike, which is more of an “overbike.” My favorite rides always have some dirt element: a county road, a
Everyday Cyclist: Off-Road Trail Paradise Read More »
Backpacking in Glacier National Park’s wilderness requires careful planning. Learn about a 4-day itinerary in the Belly River area.
Trip Planning & Backpacking in Glacier National Park Read More »
OTM reader and commuter Luke Bakken Luke Bakken noticed an omission in this month’s Guide to Buying Your first Adult Bike: “I just wanted to point out that the guide left out one entire category of bicycles that are appropriate for first-time buyers: recumbents. While not as familiar (or inexpensive) as their upright cousins, recumbents
What About Recumbents? Read More »
Deep Economy Bill McKibben Henry Holt, 2007, 272 pages In December Sorbonne students protested the disconnect between economic theory and reality. Their disillusion is palpable every time the Fed howls its quarterly screed: cast the interest rate net, cage the inflation beast, and the economy will grow. What of the export of manufacturing jobs, underemployment,
Book Reviews: February 2008 Read More »
As the summer cools off a bit, this time of year is great for bike touring. The Internet is chock-full of information about bikes, gear, destinations, how-tos and every other aspect related to loading up your bicycle and hitting the road. In this column, I’ll just focus on the why. Why tour by bike? The
Everyday Cyclist: The Ecstasy of Bike Touring Read More »
It’s easy to get caught up in the idea of a long road trip: the open highway, the sense of freedom and adventure, and the anticipation of exploring new and unfamiliar places. But there is a downside, too: the road-rage-inducing traffic on those highways, the sense of claustrophobia and numbness from hours in the cramped
Quick-Fix Car Camping: Overnighters that Won’t Burn a Bunch of Gas Read More »
Take a few road bikes, add a looped hiking trail, preferably one with a few logs across it or short, steep hills, and mix it all together with some drunken pre-WWII Frenchmen who aren’t ready to give up on the summer cycling season, and you have the invention of cyclocross. As local cyclocross competitor Jake
What’s Your Gear? Cyclocross Read More »
