Some Bicycle Things I’m Stoked About On A Friday, May 15th, 2026
Use it, or lose it. I knew I was off my tech game, but not this bad. Hard trails, hardtails, add in some snotty-slip-and-slide action and I was feeling over my head on a trail I used to ride regularly, solo, on my rigid rig. With a tire much less tacky than the non-radial-ish e13 option I’m riding at the moment.
Almost all of my recent rides have been with The Clairebarian, including trips to Bear Mtn and the Woodlot, which is so rad. And, it’s well into the give-and-give of parenting that some of your passions will have to be parked at times, or for some time. But I am making it a goal, night or day, greasy, grippy, or drifty, to find myself on something that gives me butterflies at least once a week. We’ll see how I do.
{All Photos: MEATengines unless otherwise noted.}
Fiver #3
I haven’t been around a NSMBA Fiver Race in years. I know a few folks who used to attend them religiously and stopped because of some sinister spirit known only as ‘the vibe.’ Now, I’d assume that much like traffic, if you’re in an event you’re part of ‘the vibe’ and have some influence over it, but here let’s not allow logic to spoil a good story.
On Thursday evening, Claire and I were in the position to say hello to every single person racing the Fromme Fiver, Fiver #3, and, despite many malevolent Mosquitos and properly greasy Moist-May conditions, folks were having a great time. The DEVO youth squad was out in force and there was some super-sweet metal {and plastic}, a couple hardtails, one fast and frisky rider on a drop-bar gravel rig, and I counted one rider doing his damnedest to have a great time on a basic hardtail without a gamechanger.
We didn’t have any tunes, because we didn’t have any cellphone coverage, but we’ll have that sorted for the next time we’re out marshalling a stage. If you’ve been thinking about signing up, do it. And if you do, say hi. And if you’re worried about ‘the vibe’, we didn’t see it but I’ve heard that a couple of solid dad jokes and a smile will drive it away every time.
Orange Cycles & Orangesicles
I pedaled mountain bicycles today with my friend JacVenture of Sensual Cycles fame and I was thinking about our rigs and how they run counter to the latest-is-greatest seasonal swaps of many ‘industry’ folks I know. I was riding my bought-used, 6-to-7-year-old, Will’s Chromag Arcturian. Jac, who co-owns a shop, and has flipped plenty of bikes, was riding her three-seasons-beaten Ibis HD6.
For me, the Arcturian is the anchor of a used-first personal policy for hard parts that has resulted in my and Claire’s Chromags, Nina’s new-to-her 2020 Fox fork, hubs, drivetrains, and cranksets. It’s fun, and it saves money, and at this time the market is saturated with folks flipping used-not-abused bicycle stuff. And yeah, if I can’t find what I want second hand, in the right condition, for the right price, I’ll buy a freshie. No second thoughts. Brakes come to mind as an obvious example.
Jac’s motivation is a little different. On the one had she’s curious how many thousands of ours of JacAttacking the frame can take but she’s also a big fan of bold colours and, let’s face it, as nice as it’s been to see Lilac everywhere, the industry is in the more bland part of the colour cycle. Maybe all these brands are morning the closing of All City Cycles in 2024? Amazing colourways.
Yeah, so. I know there are still a few bright frame holdovers, like the ‘Traffic Cone’ HD6, but the next shift from muted greens and greys to fabulous colour fades probably won’t really hit the industry until somewhere in ’28/’29/’30 so unless if Jac’s going to pay for custom spray, that poor Bin Chicken may need to strut around the coop for a couple more seasons.
[Aside] As soon as I started thinking about Orange Cycles my brain drifted off to Orangesicles. Then I remembered that Claire ate the last one! ARGH! AND, that she reminded me that I should buy more. So the villain in the my Orangesicleless tale may somehow, actually, be me?! Thanks past-Andrew. Jerk.[/Aside]
More Steps to Single Speeding
I’m stoked that piece from Monday, Eight Steps to Single-Speeding, was well received and wow did I receive a pile of feedback about steps that I missed. Including steps from my own prior writing. Oof. I’m not going to take it sitting down {because I can’t spin my gear up a hill this steep} but I am going to overcome this deficit by posting a follow-up ## Steps to Single Speeding piece that incorporates the original and all that feedback.
The extra steps will come from the MEATengines Reddit comments, and also from e-mails that I receive{d} on the subject and it will be published next week. So if I missed your must-have step to single-speed success in the original, fire me an e-mail.
In The Rain
Finally some proper precipitation and the North Shore trails feel like themselves again. Treacherous roots and wood work, questionably grippy vs. slippy rock armouring, and amazing hero-dirt. All that was missing is a deep rolling fog and today would have been perfect. Some folks might say the weather is garbage but, I’m only happy when it rains.
SuspensionWerx was closed for an extended long weekend and I managed to pedal through two pretty great mountain bicycle rides. The first with Jac and then an afterschool special with Claire and her friend Derek. The latter ride was pretty special. Claire was totally exhausted from a long day in a long week, not to mention a later night with the Fiver on Thursday, and she had to dig deep into her reserves to pull out a great attitude to take into the woods. Attitude is, after all, everything.
The rain was rejuvenating, and the pace she and Derek pulled off was impressive. I didn’t have a long enough pause to snap a photo. They’ve been stoked about riding the techy R&R Climb, which is absolutely an acquired taste that I’m stoked that they’ve developed.
Arcturian MX Continued
With working names like the Stylurian and Arcturius, the fact remains that the most in-tune I’ve been with my Voyagerized Will’s Arcturian has been since I ditched the -2° headset and 29″ rear wheel and popped in a 27×3″ rear tire. I love how it climbs up steep punchy sections, and I’m stoked to say I cleared a couple of janky ones today, and how it corners on descents, thanks to the smooth transition of the Round Control rear tire.
I’m not totally over the aesthetic of the 29×2.5″ tire up front and the 27×3″ tire in the back. I mean, I know must folks can’t see past the awful double-anti-theft-device action but I’ve been worn down to it over the time and can actually see past the fenders to note the extra-mix-matched tires.
Larry Talker Tunes: Terry
Thanks for last week’s NOFX selection. Haven’t listened to the band for decades and this satisfied my punk rock for now.
I’ll dial it down a notch with this week’s album from 2022: Ann Wilson – Fierce Bliss
Ann Wilson is another long-established artist from way back, but with a voice that is still up near the top ranking of any genre.
Here she has compiled a solid album of originals and creative covers, her cover of Missionary Man being a great example. The opener Greed is a terrific start showcasing that voice in action, an instant reminder of the classic “Heart” sound. Other notable tunes: Angel’s Blues, Black Wing – slowly builds with wonderful guitars, Love of My Life – not Freddie but good cover, Forget Her, Angle’s Blues (Jazzy/Rock), and the snappy Moment in Time. Rockin’ with a sprinkle of Jazz and Country. Enjoy.
{Photo: Ann Wilson}
Climbmax
Terry Walker wasn’t kidding about that cover of Missionary Man. Great album, end-to-end, Model-T! Forget Her, oof. Beyond that, I don’t have a ton to add as well roll on from the middle of May.
Oh, I’ve been surprised by the amount of hardtail nostalgia I’ve encountered lately from folks old and also younger than I’d expect. Whether it was folks checking out Claire’s Samurai on Thursday or just generally in the mountains the past few weeks a lot of folks are sharing their whimsy. It’s probably nothing, but there’s probably a hardtail frame, new or used, for relatively little money, that would love to wear all the parts off your sag-wagon. Great wrenching practice doing the swap, or even most of the swap yourself, too.
Happy Trails!
Andrew
Welcome to MEATengines! Whichever way you rolled here, I hope you enjoyed this piece. If you did, buying me a coffee is always appreciated but never expected. Any questions, concerns, or comments; feel encouraged to drop me an e-mail, or join us at r/MEATengines.