Rider and Rigs are some of my favourites posts to put up at Bikepacking.com. Mainly, cecause they’re not just (as the name suggests) about bikes. They’re about the rider, what makes them tick, what connects them to their bikes, how this intersects with their views on the world, and anything else in between. They can be as long-form and personal as they need to be.
A smile, a Hawaiian shirt, and my favourite flowering bougainvillea in town.
A grudging 5 gears for this singlespeeder.
Some images from our San José del Pacifico Grand Dirt Tour.
After his visit a couple of months ago, I posted a new one up about framebuilder Cjell Monē and his custom La Roca, complete with attention-grabbing lefty fork and vintage panniers from his local bike co-op. I’m really happy with how it came out because 1/ his bikelife ethos and his words are fun, creative, inspiring, and insightful in equal measure and 2/ I managed to capture a photo of his smile, his Hawaiian shirt, and my favourite flowering bougainvillea in town. I’m not especially confident at taking portraits but I love how this one turned out.
This is the second time I’ve ridden this loop. We went clockwise this time and it worked out great!
Amongst his many and eclectic projects, I have my eyes on one of the forgotten, ‘60s era Schwinns Cjell imbues with renewed life. I’m not ‘just’ talking about a renovation, as noble as that would be. Rather, the way he lends them a whole new and wild character, thanks to bike surgery, globs of brass braze, larger tyre clearances, and hop-up kits.
I plan to get one at some point: I see it as my version of investing in a piece of art and as an heirloom I can pass on to Sage, whilst also keeping an old bike on the road. How perfect would reborn Schwinn be for cruising around the streets of Oaxaca and Sunday dirt rides for barbacoa…
For the full read, check out:
A few other past R&Rs
ANDREA AND JAKE’S SURLY DISC TRUCKERS: A STORY OF MIGRATION
