Bike Touring News Blog

Millcreek Panniers from Lone Peak
In case you aren’t  familiar with Loan Peak Packs – They are a made in the USA, previously based in Salt Lake City but recently relocated to Marysville, Washington.  The craftsmanship has always been top notch and the panniers are well worth the price.  We have stocked the Mount Superior Pannier since we opened.  A [...]

Wheel Size- Myth and Theory
Every size of the Long Haul Trucker bicycle, from the tiny 46cm bike to the gargantuan 64cm bike is available with 26″ wheels. 56cm and larger frames also come in 700c wheel versions while 54cm and smaller bikes only come with 26″ wheels. Why do they do that? Why can’t you buy a smaller bike [...]

Bike Trekking on the Oregon Trail
The March 2013 Wandering Wheels ride took us from Mountain Home, Idaho to Bonneville Point along the Main Oregon Trail. The trail is easy to find traveling north from Mountain Home on Canyon Creek Road thanks to frequent signage. Once on the trail the surface is nicely graded hard dirt and parts of it could [...]

A Touring Bike
This is the text of an email I sent to a customer who asked some questions about what makes a good touring bike: A touring bike should be about comfort. Typically the tourist is not going to be doing too many short, hard efforts or sustained efforts in a paceline. Rather the tourist is concerned [...]

Bike Fit
On The Bike is a bike fit service  collaborating with Boise State University’s Center for Orthopaedic and Biomechanics Research. We met Benjamin Stein, the man behind On The Bike when he stopped into Bike Touring News World Headquarters (BTNWH) a few months ago.  We asked if we could come see his operation and write a [...]

Respect(s)
Anybody with a computer and an internet connection can have a blog. A cynic might assume that since the entry barriers are so low  bloggers might be shallow and narcissistic and their blogs trivial and insignificant.  And since traditional journalism has  fact checkers and editors it is, in theory at least, reliable. What’s to certify [...]

Bike Touring and Riding Defensively
  There are two occupants in the grey Honda Element and as they drive past me the passenger shrieks some sort of primal scream. I don’t think it is meant as encouragement to me. I don’t think I did anything to irritate these people, but maybe I did. Maybe I forced them to slow down [...]

Ostrich Handlebar Bag
Not precisely “handlebar” bags these Ostrich bags are supported on the platform of a front rack and secured at the top either to the handlebars or by a bracket known as a decaleur. In my opinion the advantages of this style of bag are several: -The center of gravity is lower than a bag attached [...]

Antarctica and the Garden of Eden
It’s eerie to listen to the voice. The transmission starts out chirpy, almost a forced chirpyness. As the voice goes on, loneliness and a sort of uncertainty come through. The voice is not real time but it’s still chilling to realize it’s coming from the middle of the Antarctic, the middle of that frozen desert. [...]

Tactical Flashlights and Survival Kits
Ever since I read “How To Use A Flashlight Tactically” on the Art of Manliness (yes, that’s for real) blog I have wanted a tactical flashlight. A tactical flashlight is not much bigger than the palm of the hand, has a bright LED beam, is made of impact resistant material, is waterproof and has a [...]