writertype

Future’s wide open. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBuEIgwlSM0/?igshid=h8h6ormrn4ae

Genius. #ralphellison https://www.instagram.com/p/CBojbbDlrYz/?igshid=1jfb7b95na5a3

Listen. https://www.instagram.com/p/CBRE21sFX6R/?igshid=10r5eak1n749a

Far away from the murder and madness. Happy birthday to me, 5/28. Deschutes swimming hole a blissful respite after many miles of sun-baked gravel. #bantambicycles #vercingetorixthebike https://www.instagram.com/p/CA06sFoF9O-/?igshid=oegalgdxhpoj

Creator and creation: Bob @bantambicycles rocking his “appendicitis beard” after tuning this bad boy up for me @citybikescoop . #bikecampingpreseason #vercingetorixthebike https://www.instagram.com/p/CAOeWImAJ3n/?igshid=8s9eocswd6lg

Mother. 12/7/72. https://www.instagram.com/p/CABGRx4FTaA/?igshid=xsj24vl32gug

Rides smooth as butter, perfect geometry and fit. Silver Age steel bikes like this are still kind of an open secret. Once you get the shifting dialed, they can be truly sublime, everything working in harmony and a ride quality that puts carbon to shame. My ‘72 Carlton-built Raleigh Grand Sport is an unbelievably fun example. It takes me back to my first road bike, an ’83 Raleigh Marathon I got for my tenth birthday. It brought so much joy and bridged the gap between my BMX days and first MTB in ‘86. “Under-biking” on trails and gravel was part of every ride. Same as today. Carlton and Jack Taylor were the British builders who knew and loved the great French innovators like Herse and Singer, and their bikes stand out as a result. Beyond the Reynolds 531 frameset, vintage highlights on this bike include an incredibly comfortable Brooks Professional saddle that just disappears beneath me, a sweet Campy hubset still rolling smooth and strong, powerful Mafac Racer brakes with great modulation, and classic Reg bottle cages with sprung clamps. In 2018, I rode this 120 miles with 10,000 feet of elevation gain mostly on dirt and gravel through the mountains between Paso Robles and the Pacific for the Eroica California. It was awesome. The 700Cx33mm Rivendell rubber made it all the more incredible. #reynolds531 #eroicabike #steelisreal https://www.instagram.com/p/B_5ftx0lQgW/?igshid=1enp5whn1mvew

Rare ‘67 International Travelall #travelall https://www.instagram.com/p/B_30aMpABM5/?igshid=1q4haxssnfham

More @harpersmagazine 9/16/1865. The ads!#vintageadvertising https://www.instagram.com/p/B_lgBjjFqip/?igshid=10yayjlsbglf

@harpersmagazine 9/16/1865. The ads are the greatest. #vintageadvertising https://www.instagram.com/p/B_lfgsfFMhi/?igshid=y8jyxrwuua1w

George is excellent at responsible social distancing #coviddiaries (at Portland, Oregon) https://www.instagram.com/p/B_gvM5BFDAr/?igshid=vkkme8viuywd

Grounded. https://www.instagram.com/p/B_OW9hIFCFb/?igshid=1ej280ux4sfuh

#savetheusps https://www.instagram.com/p/B--oRHOFa6u/?igshid=fe2ny0sghrhw