National Bike Summit, here we come…

The theme for this year’s National Bike Summit is “Bikes Mean Business.” Considering that we’ve been banging that drum for the past few years, talking about how bicycle travel can bring economic benefit and save small towns, how could we not go?

To be perfectly honest, we have no idea what to expect. We’ve never attended the Summit before, and we’re really not policy sort of people, but we’re looking forward to seeing who all attends this wonky event. We had hoped that the League would build more bike tourism into this year’s program, but we’re hopeful that we can chat with other attendees about what we’ve learned on the road.

So, today we’re on a plane to DC (why do we not have high-speed rail yet?), to be a part of this important conversation. If you’ll be at the Summit, come find us and say hi. We’ll report back in a couple days and, until then, watch our Facebook and Twitter streams for our impressions throughout the Summit.

Gear: Reflecting about Cycling Mirrors

There was recently a flurry about mirrors on our Facebook Page after I posted an Amazon link to the Take-A-Look mirror. Opinions on mirrors are varied. Some swear by them, others think they are the epitome of Fred-om and a fashion abomination. Say what you will, we think they’re infinitely useful and are an underrated safety tool.

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What is Bicycle Travel?

YouTube version of the video.

Three years ago, almost to the day, we left our then-home of Long Beach, CA, on what would turn out to be a fateful bike trip to Joshua Tree. By the time we had returned home, we knew that we would soon be selling everything we owned and leaving on an incredible adventure. Never would we have dreamt that such a decision would lead us down this amazing path – or that it would open so many opportunities to show the inherent joys of bicycle travel.

A blast from the past. Having a picnic on one of our early tours.

Our time in New Zealand disappeared astoundingly fast, and now we are back in Southern California, figuring out our plans for the rest of this year. While we are still wrapping our heads around everything that happened and all that we learned (particularly in terms of bike economics), we are more convinced than ever of the benefits of bicycle travel.

In another couple weeks, we’ll be heading up to Portland, Oregon, which will be our home base this summer. It may sound counter-intuitive, but we’ve decided to step back from the continuous movement of the past year(s), so that we can promote bicycle travel in new ways and to more people. As we’ve been traveling, we’ve been making hundreds of mental notes about projects we want to work on that would help inspire other people to travel by bike and support bike travel. The time to act on these ideas, we’ve realized, is now.

While we won’t be actively traveling, we’ll still be here on this site, sharing many of the stories that haven’t yet made it online. We’ll also be taking our enthusiasm for bicycle travel off the website and to various events around the US. A lot of the details are still in the works, but you can expect a number of opportunities to meet up and hear us speak.

After 4,000 loaded touring miles on our Bromptons, we also want to share all that we’ve learned about adventure travel on these sturdy little bikes. We’ve been hinting about this book for some time, but we’re committed to finishing it over the next short while. (If there’s something you want to know, email us!)

And don’t forget the videos! The Kiwi Chronicles will certainly not be the last series of short videos we make about bicycle travel. We had an incredible experience filming and creating each of these videos, and we’re looking forward to taking the camera out on a variety of shorter-length trips to show the accessibility of bicycle travel.

But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, we’ve taken some time to think about why bicycle travel is such an incredible way of exploring a place and why someone should consider it. What is bicycle travel? Watch and see.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our 2012 2012 calendar or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing.)

Live Webcam Chat about Touring in New Zealand! -This Wednesday 6pm PST

Have questions about our New Zealand trip that we haven’t answered in a video or a post? Now’s your chance to ask them! We’re going to do an hour long live webcast this Wednesday at 6pm PST. We’ll share with you our “Top 5 Favorite Things” about touring in NZ as well as our “Top 5 Not So Favorite Things” things about NZ. Also we’ll give you some tips about touring in NZ. In an attempt to keep it from being just a talking head show, I’ll be experimenting with a little live studio streaming program that lets us transition in photos and movies : )

We’re using USTREAM for the event. We’ve been digging around for a better option but haven’t found one yet. Here are the critical details:

When: Wednesday at 6pm PST
Where: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/pathlesspedaled
Ask Us Questions:
You’ve got a couple options to ask us questions. You can either:
-go to our USTREAM channel at the time of the event and log on (you’ll need to sign up really quickly with an email address)
-email us your questions in advance and you can just sit back and relax and watch the show.
-you can send in your question via Twitter using the hashtag #PLPNZ

Some quick notes about USTREAM. First, you will be subjected to 30 seconds of advertisement. For this we are truly sorry. Feel free to make a cup of tea or grab some cookies when the inane car commercial is playing. Secondly, it’s more fun when you join the conversation. We’ve been looking for video/group chat option that doesn’t require some sort of log in with no success. Of what we’ve tried, USTREAM asks the least amount of information so please don’t be too put off and join in! It will be fun.

The Canal Road

Anyone who has been following the site for the last few years knows that I’ve been bit with a serious fly-fishing bug. Ever since that fateful day when we were in Fort Worth, TX (of all places!) where I took a fly casting class and bought some gear, the rod has been a constant companion on many of our trips. We had been tipped off to ride the canal roads from Twizel to Lake Tekapo to get off the state highway but also for the fishing. There is a salmon farm in the canals and rumors have it that the trout have been getting fat from the pellets and that there are occasional salmon that escape.

The day we rode the canal road was not only one of the best riding days (we could actually ride side by side without large trucks passing every few seconds), but it was also when I landed my biggest fish on the fly so far. We stopped a few times but it was too windy to really get a cast out. I decided to give it another go at a bridge when the winds had mellowed out. After about 20 minutes without a bite I was ready to pack it in. On a whim, I let my line drift over the bridge when I felt a take of a really big fish. In a rare moment, Laura was there to capture it on video as well!

We are at Lake Tekapo and it is glorious outside. The summer weather that has successfully evaded us for the last two and a half months has arrived (atleast for today). We’ve been thoroughly enjoying our last few days as it seems we’ve found a thin vein of NZ roads where the traffic isn’t as hectic and the scenery is beautiful.

We’ve been reflecting a lot during the last few days about our 3 months in NZ. Some of it has been good. Some of it frustrating. It has been a complex trip with lots of mixed emotions. It hasn’t quite turned out to be the pristine bike touring paradise we had hoped but it does have its moments. For now, we’re taking it easy, enjoying the sun while it is out and our last remaining days in New Zealand.

Kiwi Short: Frocks on Bikes

We are currently in Christchurch with some down time as we wait for some repair parts. It’s giving me time to work on some videos. I’m starting to edit the next Kiwi Chronicle episode and lamented all this great Frocks on Bikes footage that probably will be cut from it. So instead of just letting it gather digital dust, I had to cut a Kiwi Short. I was feeling pretty down about cycling in New Zealand and Wellington in particular after the International Bike Incident. This gave me some hope again. Everyday cycling in NZ seems to be in its infancy and its groups like Frocks on Bikes that will hopefully help take bicycling from recreation and bring it back to the everyday. In the video is Leah Murphy, one of the founders of Frocks on Bikes which has become a national movement of sorts. Also present is Celia Wade-Brown, the mayor of Wellington.

As you can tell from the video is that it was pretty windy. What you probably can’t tell is how absolutely terrifying the ferry ride was. The seats in the ferry weren’t bolted down and actually started moving during the ride from all the tossing! Everyone was pretty ecstatic to be back on shore and we all decided that riding a few hours into the headwind was more enjoyable than another ferry crossing. What was suppose to be a short picnic ride, turned into some epic riding battling the winds back into Wellington. At one point, three people in front of me and myself included were actually blown into traffic. We got off and had to walk a 100 meters. Surprisingly, everyone kept their spirits high and made it back. Even Celia pedaled all the way back, proving to be a stout cyclist (now if she can only get some more bike lanes in Welly!). Riding with the Frocks, renewed some faith that I had lost in cycling in NZ. It still has a long way to go, but moments like this give me hope.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our 2012 2012 calendar or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing.)

NZ Cycle Trail and Rural Communities

I’ve done a re-edit of our last video that focuses specifically on the interviews with the NZ Cycle Trail Team. We hope to share it as a resource for other bike advocates trying to make an economic argument for cycling. Although we find it pretty amazing and daring for the New Zealand government to tackle a cycling project of that scale, it is not the only model. Sustrans in the UK was funded to create a project for the new Millennium that was free for masses of people to enjoy and benefited the entire country and they developed the National Cycle Network!

While the NZ Cycle Trail network is still in its infancy and will have a few more years to fully mature, there are already signs of promise. We’ve seen local councils take the lead and make steps to improve trails and roads in their region. We’ve seen some businesses that were started to meet the growing demand of cycling. Most encouraging is that we’ve seen an increase in locals using cycling resources that were developed for tourism. The most exceptional example we’ve come upon is a ferry operation in Nelson. Two people built a flat bottom ferry with bike racks to shuttle tourists to Rabbit Island where there is a lovely meandering path. An unexpected benefit is that locals are brushing off their bikes and using the ferry in droves. It has become quite the weekend activity to take the family out for a bike ride out on Rabbit Island.

There are still some hard yards ahead to change road culture and the perception of bicycles just as recreation to transportation in New Zealand. We’re reminded of that everyday we’re on a road with cars passing too close too fast. After talking to many people involved in the program we remain cautiously optimistic.

TRIP UPDATE:
At the moment we are in Greymouth and have experienced a mechanical with my Brompton. We’ve opted to take the train to Christchurch and wait for the part and deal with repairs there. So if you’re in Christchuch and want to meet up or can help us out with a home stay, email us!

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our 2012 2012 calendar or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing.)

Some Kiwi Shorts

Just rolled into Greymouth today. It was a beautiful scenic ride that started out with grey and rain and ended with sun and wind. More on that later. For now, we’re taking advantage of some internet access and uploading a few silly Kiwi Shorts from the last few weeks.

Rain Tips for Touring on Bromptons


New Zealand has Toilets from the Future….Today

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our 2012 2012 calendar or some of the fun bike-themed t-shirts we’re designing.)

Kiwi Short: Fish On!

Another short video sequence that will probably end up in episode 4. We were holed up in Turangi, the trout capital of New Zealand and it was raining for days. I came to the grips with the fact that if I was going to get a fish on I’d be doing it sopping wet. With some advice from the local fly shop, I switched my tackle around and was able to land two nice rainbows. What a rush! I could barely hold the GoPro I was shaking from the adrenaline rush. They are big and hard fighting fish in NZ, especially on a 5wt rod!

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new 2012 calendar or some of the fun zombie apocalypse shirts we’re designing.)

Kiwi Chronicles Episode 2: Cycling in the Super City

Episode 2 is up and boy is it action packed! Checkout our special behind the scenes post on Bicycle Times.

(Keep our adventures going and the site growing! If you’ve enjoyed our stories, videos and photos over the years, consider buying our ebook Panniers and Peanut Butter, or our new 2012 calendar or some of the fun zombie apocalypse shirts we’re designing.)