Memo From God
I have an ex who saw her world in sets of three. Three friends, three beers, three scratch tickets, yadda. Any time something significant happened, she would intone that she was watching for the…
Latest Posts Page One Op-Ed Classified Talk NICA
Video – All Gas, No Brakes
Here's a little something, something to distract you from your boring uncle, something to watch while you eat the third piece of pie, because if you didn't start with two, you're not trying very…
From Us, To You
In anticipation of Thanksgiving, Padraig and I did a gratitude session on the last episode of The Paceline. Gratitude is, for me, an integral part of mental health. I actually have a theory that you…
In the Leaves
Pour your tea. Let the leaves float free. Drink it down fast. Hand it over. The future is there, if you squint, if you believe, if you're not a coffee drinker, and you're still willing to ride in the…
The Angle: Chainstay Length
The chainstay is the forgotten hero of every frame. It's one of the two tubes—the other being the head tube—that no frame design ever eliminates. Engineers and frame builders have come up with…
Robot’s Useless Reviews – Marcomm
Marcomm is a term used by marketing people to indicate all marketing communications materials. That used to consist of catalogs, brochures, and other printed, user-facing media, but now maybe blurs…
At the Bench: How Tight Is Tight?
I didn't understand that bicycle components could be overtightened until my lack of understanding made me bleed.
I'd finished my exams for the fall semester and needed to pack my mountain bike to…
Outspoken Cyclist 582
Guests: Sylvan Adams; David Lipscomb
Yes, it’s a long one today; but, I will be back in two weeks with a new episode, so thought I’d give you a bit of extra this week! In several articles that…
TCI Friday
One of the small bits of progress I've made as a human in mid-stage adulthood is the acceptance and readiness to be wrong about things. Growing up, as they say, is hard to do. So today I'm going to…
Featured Posts
An Open Letter to Katie Compton Fans
I know the pain you're feeling right now. I know the disappointment. I know the overwhelming conviction that she's suffering a complete miscarriage of justice. I know how you feel like the ground…
Coming Attractions
I'm back from my first no-kid, no-editorial vacation I've had since 2008. I needed an opportunity to clear my head and give some deep thought to what we are doing here at TCI.
When I launched Red…
Introducing: Turtle Wandering
A good friend of The Cycling Independent, Elizabeth Allen, has started a really cool new video blog series called Turtle Wandering. In her words, this is the description:
"It is about the places…
Non-Zero Sum Gains
I have been thinking an awful lot about cycling advocacy and inclusivity. Why? Because I dream of a self-powered world, one in which all citizens glide around on a bicycle of one flavor or another. I…
A Year of Shelter
Life changed for us 365 days ago. I doubt you or anyone you know would have been willing to guess that the life you're living today was even possible. It was certainly beyond my imagination, and I…
What We Would Say
I chose cycling because it's the only time I don't feel like a klutz.I chose cycling because I can't stick the ball. I chose cycling because I didn't play team sports.I chose cycling because I'm…
We Need You On This Ride
I'll be brief.
Our primary goal at The Cycling Independent is to make our community as large as we possibly can. Part of that is selfish. We can't continue without your financial support. This is…
Editor’s Letter
Right now you might be thinking, "How can this be an editor’s letter on a website? This isn't print!"
You very well should be thinking that because we’re not just another website with a bunch of…
The Cycling Independent: a Statement of Purpose
The way I tell the story, my love of magazines, of periodic publications, began with Skateboarder Magazine in 1977, but that’s not actually true. I can trace it further back, to Boy’s…
New York to Provincetown
A single day can feel like a month. Processing a massive ride afterwards is like staring at a Salvador Dali painting. Fifty miles dissolves into a blurry moment.
Turns out it took a village…
In the Leaves
Pour your tea. Let the leaves float free. Drink it down fast. Hand it over. The future is there, if you squint, if you believe, if you're not a coffee drinker, and you're still willing to ride in the…
Page One
Video – All Gas, No Brakes
Here's a little something, something to distract you from your boring uncle, something to watch while you eat the third piece of pie, because if you didn't start with two, you're not trying very…
From Us, To You
In anticipation of Thanksgiving, Padraig and I did a gratitude session on the last episode of The Paceline. Gratitude is, for me, an integral part of mental health. I actually have a theory that you…
In the Leaves
Pour your tea. Let the leaves float free. Drink it down fast. Hand it over. The future is there, if you squint, if you believe, if you're not a coffee drinker, and you're still willing to ride in the…
Op-Ed
Memo From God
I have an ex who saw her world in sets of three. Three friends, three beers, three scratch tickets, yadda. Any time something significant happened, she would intone that she was watching for the…
TCI Friday
One of the small bits of progress I've made as a human in mid-stage adulthood is the acceptance and readiness to be wrong about things. Growing up, as they say, is hard to do. So today I'm going to…
TCI Friday
Like any writer, I have a pile of books next to my bed. The pile shrinks and grows, a topographic map of my fragile curiosity. Currently, it contains one piece of fiction, a biography of Einstein,…
Classified
Robot’s Useless Reviews – Marcomm
Marcomm is a term used by marketing people to indicate all marketing communications materials. That used to consist of catalogs, brochures, and other printed, user-facing media, but now maybe blurs…
At the Bench: How Tight Is Tight?
I didn't understand that bicycle components could be overtightened until my lack of understanding made me bleed.
I'd finished my exams for the fall semester and needed to pack my mountain bike to…
Cycle Pal Disc Brake Alignment Tool
Among the many items in my garage that don't seem like garage items, a plastic cutting board leans against my tool case. The cutting board is small, maybe 7-inches by 5-inches and sports a white…
Talk
Outspoken Cyclist 582
Guests: Sylvan Adams; David Lipscomb
Yes, it’s a long one today; but, I will be back in two weeks with a new episode, so thought I’d give you a bit of extra this week! In several articles that…
Paceline Podcast 265
John takes on a listener question this week regarding the notion of Safety 3rd. Is it foolhardy or a sound philosophy? John and Patrick ponder its implications.
With Thanksgiving just around the…
Revolting Podcast 9
What is dirtbag fitness? Just because the guys don't deal in watts or KOMS, doesn't mean they're not trying to stay capable on the bike and off it. This is a conversation about what it means to get…