Related questions like "What is your favorite bike?" and "What bike do you own?" get asked often, too. The last one is asked because, people tell me, I ride so many bikes that the one I choose for my own must be pretty great. It's like asking an auto mechanic, "What car do you own?"
I spend much of my life riding bikes, thinking about bikes, talking to others about bikes, and writing about bikes. It's been my job for more than 30 years: from bike shop salesperson in high school to mechanic in college to an internship with Mountain Bike magazine to Bicycling test editor after college and ever since.
In those three decades' time, I've ridden many bikes, perhaps in the thousands. And there came a moment on every one of those bikes when I thought to myself, "Do I love this bike? Is it perfect? Is it right for me? Is this the best bike I've ever ridden? If I could ride only one bike for the foreseeable future, would it be this bike?"
The crazy thing is, as I've ridden more and more bikes, the idea that there could be a perfect or best bike in perpetuity seems less and less likely. And now, thirty-odd years into this journey, I've all but let go of the idea that the best bike can exist. Or rather, I understand that it can exist, but only briefly. This doesn't mean I've stopped trying to find the best bike in this moment, or that I no longer seek to learn about bikes and why one might feel better than another. I'm always prepared to be surprised, and I believe that any bike can be magical, for explicable and inexplicable reasons.
Denne historien er fra Spring 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Denne historien er fra Spring 2023-utgaven av Bicycling US.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
GETTING A FLAT CAN MAKE YOUR RIDE BETTER
ON A BEAUTIFUL LATE-SUMMER RIDE UNDER a cerulean blue sky, I got my second flat in three days.
THERE ARE WAY TOO MANY BIKES TO CHOOSE FROM
\"PERFECTION IS ACHIEVED, NOT WHEN there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.\"
THE CASE AGAINST STRAVA
I'LL BEGIN BY SINGING SOME PRAISES: Without Strava, I'm not sure I'd have re-engaged with cycling at the level I did. Coming from just occasionally messing around on mountain bikes as a teenager to trying my best to race at an elite level, Strava has played a role in pushing me to PR, hunt KOMS, and ride faster and harder than ever before.
LOOKING FOR CYCLING'S CAITLIN CLARK
WOMEN'S PRO CYCLING MUST FOSTER A COMMUNITY THAT WILL FEEL INVESTED IN THE SPORT FOR YEARS TO COME.
THE UPSIDE OF GETTING YOUR CAR STOLEN
AFTER I PARKED AT THE LAFAYETTE COLLEGE track for my workout, I did what I always do: I put my phone and wallet in the center console of my car and took the car key off the ring so I could fit it into the tiny pocket inside my running shorts.
UNLOCK THE SECRETS OF CYCLING'S SUPER AGERS
MEET THE SWEDISH SENIORS WHO PROVE YOU'RE NEVER TOO OLD TO RIDE HARD.
BIKE PACKING AMERICA'S LONGEST MULTIUSE TRAIL NETWORK
Even the slightest rain can sound thunderous inside a tent--and this was not slight rain. It came down in buckets, just as my partner Maggie and I were settling into our sleeping bags.
TWICE AS GOOD
WHY A DISCO-BALLINSPIRED DOUBLE UNICYCLE MIGHT BE ONE OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BIKES OF THE YEAR
THE ALCHE MISTS
They led a cycling revolution in Afghanistan where women were forbidden to ride. When the Taliban returned to power, their only hope was a harrowing escape to an uncertain future.
COUNTDOWN - TO YOUR FIRST CRIT
ONE INTREPID MEMBER, ONE WORLDCLASS COACH, ONE INCREDIBLE BIKE-THE OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME.
