Some Bicycle Things I’m Stoked About On A Friday, June 12th, 2026
We’re maybe a fifth of the way into our ride on Thursday, and my Will’s Arcturian and I are already casting a long shadow. I shouldn’t be nervous, we’re only ten days from the summer solstice, and even as it cools pleasantly in the forest, I know rationally that we’ll be driving home in full daylight. I’m also packing enough lumens to hike out a few times over, but it’s so early I shouldn’t even be thinking about that. It’s just a matter of conditioning. I’ve been out with a group during dusks of the past, short and long, when a bike or body has exploded too many times.
Now as expected we emerge from the forest long before we drain all the daylight. Along the way, we’re met with stunning sunlit ferns, salal, and single track at every corner, up and down. The dirt is still just moist enough to be magical in most places. At one point, our friend Judy declares unprovoked war on a boulder, but as soon as she chases down her breath and extracts herself from her rig, she sues for peace. We’ll call it a tie. I’m sure they’re both bruised today, but Judy sucked it up to keep rolling afterwards. That rock’s not going anywhere without some assistance.
{All photos: MEATengines unless noted}
Few events will have us extending The Clairebarian’s bedtime on a school night. She can be a savage ravager when I try to rouse her on the best days. But, it turns out a mountain bicycle ride makes the potentially wild wakeup worthwhile? This wasn’t an ordinary ride mind you, it was Claire’s first time in charge in her capacity as a shop-ride leader for our friends JacAttack & Nice Guy Geoff. I was just along as her chauffeur, chef, portable mechanic, and to sweep up at the back of the group.
As a full fan of ‘the old way’, I love how many bike shops have reintroduced shop rides, basic maintenance nights, and other community growing and knowledge sharing opportunities. I’ve talked to a fair number of floor staff who’ve said they’re suddenly selling a lot of more basic bicycles {human-powered commuter rigs, do-everything ATB-hardtails, more budget-friendly sag-wagons} and I love that, too.
[Aside]
If you find yourself in Nanaimo, BC, I’ve had more than one unaffiliated rider tell me that the best shop rides they’ve been on are hosted by Arrowsmith Bikes. I can’t speak on that from personal experience, and if anyone wants to throw down a plug for their local shop’s outing, you know how to reach me.
[/Aside]
Rain
It rained this week. Not enough. It’s never enough this time of year anymore. But the trails were glorious in the moments and the day after. Claire and I put in a solid one-hour-ish lap after school on Monday and had the forest to ourselves with the best dirt in June, so far. Mountain bikers are funny, on a sunny day with shitty loose-over-hard slip-and-slide conditions the same part of Mt. Fromme would have much heavier traffic, even with our relatively early afternoon start.
The long term forecast is for a hot, dry, hot summer, which c’est pas si bon for those of us who fit Peter Mayle’s musing: “What is it that changes from the color of a dead rat to the color of a dead lobster in three hours? Les Anglais en vacances… even a moonbeam makes them pink.” I suspect that my solo rides will involve early mornings and late evenings and my rides with Claire will involve significant whinging, by both of us, about the heat.
In the meantime, when it does rain, every time it does rain, I suspect it’ll be front and centre on SBTISAOAF! My own digital rain dance honouring the trail gods.
Vintage Friends
Our friend Thomas of F!RST L!GHT fame fixes and fabricates a few frames a year, including Voyagering Claire’s & my Will’s Chromags, which are rad, but even so, it’s his cycling-community building that I’m most stoked about. As Claire noted in her write up of the, 3rd annual, Mount Pleasant Show ‘N’ Shine, there were tons of folks out enjoying the classic bicycles and bicycles people. Thank you Thomas, and also Matt from HMPL, for organizing such a great event.
I want to shout out Claire for insisting on including a photo of Terry Walker, Model-T himself, randomly dropped in with all the other vintage stuff. You’re learning kid!
I also want to shout out green-A’HA-Clyde who pedaled that coaster-brake-only classic from Victoria to East Van and back again. That’s a 170km single-day single-speed slog in Van’s? That’s off the wall! It’s not that I don’t think the sliderific fresh Humu is nifty, but I’d love to see Kona also selling the BITD loop-tail horizontal-drop 26″ A’HA rigs as well. I’d run mine with rim-brakes mind you, but to own their each. There’s definitely not enough of the classic ones to go around.
{Photo: The Clairebarian}
A Fresh Gig In YYC?
I used to love wandering into bicycle shops anywhere and everywhere I went but, despite them boasting a lot more magnets these days, I find the attraction has waned a lot. Is it that there’s less specificity in bikes and parts and even brands and personalities? Most the time when I wander into a fresh shop now I’m either pounced on hard for a sale or ignored entirely and neither is my happy place. What happened to a bit of banter between two-wheeled fanatics? I can’t remember the last time I walked into a shop and some staff member asked if I wanted to see something they were stoked on that had nothing to do with my visit.
Anywho, despite all my rose-coloured lamentations, I still have a fair few favourite bike shops, including a few I’ve not set foot in for at least a decade and a couple I’ve never visited at all*. The Inside Line in the elbow is one of the latter. I’m not moving east of the Rocky Mountains, or even heading there to visit, any time soon, but if you live in the land of un-constitutional separatist questions, or are a childless bike shop hustler planning to chase fortune in the province with the lowest per-capita K-12 education funding in the country, well, do I have a rad gig for you.
Cam & Co. are stoked bicycles nerds with a sense of humour and a passion for community building and they always seem to be up to something interesting and unique. Currently, like most shops, they’re looking for techs, floor staff, and a service writer, but they’re also trying to find the right puzzle piece for their service manager position. Anywho, if you’re keen, check out their careers page* and if you land a gig thanks to this heads up, maybe send me a thank you water bottle from their next creative run***‽
*{I still haven’t been to The Jumping Slug Community Cyclery, either.}
**{It hopefully goes without saying that MEATengines is not compensated in any way for sharing this, or any other, content. We write about people, places, and things we like. If you have any questions check out our PPP review policy or drop me a message.}
***{It’s been ages since someone sent me a photo of their nifty water bottle for my The Most Interesting Bottle In The World collection! Feel encouraged to add to the litany.}
{Photo: TIL}
{Slug Life Photo: Nik I met on Pipeline}
The DCC Sealant Snake Skin Challenge!
If you don’t know the last time that the sealant was replaced in your tubeless tires, you either have a lovely, and probably underappreciated, partner or parent who is on top of that for you {hint, hint}, or you’re overdue. If you’re supporting a shop that does your wrenching just check your service invoices for the last six months. If there’s not a note about refreshing your sealant, or installing new tires, then you’re probably due to pull those valve cores or pop that bead and lean in with some liquid flat fighter.
But what do you do when your still-ready-to-ride rubber is absolutely coated in the rubbery remains of dried sealant? Well, now it’s time to take the Dodge City Cycles Sealant Snake Skin Challenge!
Okay, I made that up, but if you, or your shop, manages to collect an equally impressive, one single piece, specimen then fire me a photo and I’ll include it in a future SBTISAOAF piece as a follow up reminder to folks to that if it is doesn’t swish it doesn’t seal punctures.
{Photo: Dodge City Cycles}
RSD 510mm Fork Pre-order
As previously discussed, and championed buy our friend Vik, MEATengines is massively pro pre-order. Whether it’s a titanic company like Trek making enough of their excellent 29×3″ XR4 tires to satisfy the double-hardtailers amongst us, machining wizards Wolf Tooth throwing back to their stainless steel roots with a little batch of rings and cogs for forever drivetrain one-speeders, or a small concern like RSD knowing how many extra extra-long rigid forks to make, it’s a more sustainable way to have nifty niche products available.
Anywho, one of those examples is legit. RSD is doing a batch of their 510mm axle-to-crown Boost forks to see with bikes and anyone who’d like one to convert, or even sometimes-convert, their stapler had best reach out. The pre-order ends July 15th and folks can expect to unwrap their fresh fork for Christmas.
{Knolly photos: Steve @ Hardtail.Life}
Climbmax
I still have CTK’s 2016 Honzo ST frame in basement for folks who inquired but didn’t pull the trigger. It’s $200 which, cash or digital, CTK is going to donate the entirety of to SHARE Family & Community Services. Sorry, not shipping it; let me know if you’re localish and keen. While I’m hitting reminders, Claire and I will be out digging with Penny on Wednesday, bringing some much needed love to the Bridal Path. If you’re free Wednesday around 3:30pm and fancy some trail karma, you can sign up on the NSMBA Work Wednesday page.
For folks who have asked, thank you, MEATengines will be content light until the end of June and then I’m hoping to ramp back up for July and August. Thank you, to all the folks I’ve not replied to yet about their About a Single Speed submissions. This weekend! Also, yes, I’m always interested in Bicycle Valentines submissions.
I’ll leave it there for this week.
Happy Trails!
Andrew
Larry Talker Tunes: By Andrew
Terry Walker! Last week you had me at “Jethro Tull” and Albion did not disappoint!
But here we are flying towards the middle of June, and, if you’re anything like me, you have a metric ton of bicycle maintenance to perform ASAP. There’s something occasionally ‘floating’ for a few millimetres in my drivetrain when I hammer hard on the pedals on my Arcturian, Nina’s commuter bikes ancient Chris King hubs are singing the wrong tune, Claire’s due for a couple more centimeters on her handlebar, and I could go on.
I’ve carved out a bunch of time on Sunday, and I’m committed to focusing down and getting some of these projects done, and while I’m working I’ll be spinning Joel Plaskett’s massive endeavour, his four album boxset 44.
Released before his 45th birthday, 44 features, you guessed it, forty-four fantastic tracks. Pick some favourites? Oof. The opening song Collusion is a fantastic-classic Plaskett best served with collecting all the tools you need. Brand New & Brokenhearted highlights his heavy guitar talents, as does I Lost It while decided between brewing a coffee or cracking a beer. Renegade is a chill wheel truing tune, I might have to run that on repeat for a bit, or, actually, it’s a pretty reflective album. Is This Actually On is a fun bit that flows straight into Melt The Universe With Brotherly Love.
You know what? It’s easier just to start at the top and see how much you can accomplish before the bottom. When There’s More Out There In Here starts playing it’s clean up time!
{Photo: Joel Plaskett}
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