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Rigid, Vintage, Ready: Lachlan Sillitoe’s Anonymous Beach Bruiser

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Rigid, Vintage, Ready: Lachlan Sillitoe’s Anonymous Beach Bruiser

You won’t find many fully rigid, bi-plane forked, singlespeed mtbs on the trails of Kamloops—or anywhere else for that matter. But Lachlan Sillitoe, an Aussie transplant in the Loops and owner of the Bicycle Cafe, breaks the mold of the typical British Columbia Interior ride, with style and flow to spare. After hanging on his wheel during a few rides earlier this year, Dylan Sherrard writes about his friend’s unconventional bike choices and eagerness to embrace the entire spectrum of the riding experience—comfort be damned. Read on for Lachy’s thoughts about why easier isn’t always better and for a closer look at his anonymous vintage rigid SS mtb “beach bruiser.”

Take Care, Ride Slowly: The First Annual Dirtbag Cycles Rambler

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Take Care, Ride Slowly: The First Annual Dirtbag Cycles Rambler

I was leading the pack towards the tail end of the first annual Dirtbag Cycles Rambler on Vancouver Island. We were riding through the last singletrack section of the 90-ish km ride, and only I knew what was coming. After a quick 90-degree turn off the main trail, the forest opened up into a powerline clearing with about a half-kilometer descent. I heard behind me someone say “Oh shit, here we go!” and then all 15 of my fellow riders started hooting and hollering. I let go of the brakes and took off, reassured that the experience I’d been planning for the better part of a year had ended up being exactly what I hoped for.

Searching for Goldilocks: 7Mesh Copilot Waterproof Cycling Jacket Review

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Searching for Goldilocks: 7Mesh Copilot Waterproof Cycling Jacket Review

In his 1973 book Coast to Coast, Alfred Wainwright wrote, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing”. Well, perhaps Alfred never experienced being blasted by sideways rain while desperately trying to gain traction on a rutted, sloppy trail! Let’s just face it, sometimes the weather can be crappy and when it is, a good jacket can be the difference between damp fun and fuckin’ drenched and dangerous.

In this review, we’re looking at the newly redesigned, Copilot Jacket from the good folks at 7Mesh. Based in Squamish, Canada, the 7Mesh crew definitely get bad weather. Afterall, Squamish regularly gets all four seasons in a day and has an average rainfall of over 220cm per year. That’s hella wet. Even by this Englishman’s standards.

Multi-Sporting on Garibaldi Classic: The Nch’kay House of Pleasure and Pain

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Multi-Sporting on Garibaldi Classic: The Nch’kay House of Pleasure and Pain

We were one day into a three-day trip dubbed the Garibaldi Classic or “The Nch’kay House of Pleasure and Pain.” Pandemics aside, on the long weekend in September, it has become a tradition to embark on some sort of ill-advised multi-day trip involving mountain landscapes, good friends, small backpacks, and quite a bit more foot travel than would be advertised in a long-weekend bike trip brochure. The goal was to leave from our front doors, bikes loaded with everything we would need for a three-day, lightweight excursion in the mountains, curling a horseshoe around Garibaldi Lake within British Columbia’s Garibaldi Provincial Park.

A Double Header of Dispatches from a Canadian Summer

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A Double Header of Dispatches from a Canadian Summer

Long tours are often lauded as being the ultimate way to tour but getting out for overnighters, here and there when the schedule allows, can be just as powerful an experience. Amidst general life busyness, photographer and pedaling-enthusiast Pat Valade makes time for a couple overnight bike campouts this summer. It should be no surprise that he packed the camera and we’re stoked to share the following doubleheader photo essay and its myriad glimpses offered into the Canadian summer. 

The 2022 TransRockies Gravel Royale

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The 2022 TransRockies Gravel Royale

TransRockies has become an institution in the stage racing world: they have been around since the beginning. In late August, the inaugural Gravel Royale was their first foray into the world of gravel racing. The edition of the truly off-tarmac event makes sense, as the main critique of TransRockies in years past has been riders complaining about too many gravel roads. Sounds like they’ve just been honing the course for a real gravel throw down! After the four stages, Rob Britton of Victoria, BA and Rach McBride of Vancouver, BC took the top step in the Elite Men’s and Women’s categories, respectively. What follows is Barry Wicks‘ rider journal from each of the four days which gives a stream of consciousness account, followed by his interviews with other competitors. Each interview maintained the same format and consisted of just three questions designed to skip the small talk: What is your favorite color? What are you reading right now? What is the meaning of life? Enjoy the ride!

Vancouver to Cape Breton: Robin Todd’s Solo Bikepacking Trip Across Canada

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Vancouver to Cape Breton: Robin Todd’s Solo Bikepacking Trip Across Canada

Robin Todd, 57, wants you to know that you can do big things, and that a grilled cinnamon bun will help significantly at the end of a long rainy day.

Last fall, Robin bikepacked alone for 6,800 kilometers (4,225 miles) from Vancouver, British Columbia to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. She’s always been an adventurer, but this journey across Canada was done in part to prove that age isn’t a factor when it comes to adventure, especially for women.

Into the Mind: Catching Up with Ultra-Endurance Cyclist Theo Kelsey

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Into the Mind: Catching Up with Ultra-Endurance Cyclist Theo Kelsey

I honestly can’t remember the first time I thought about racing bikes or the fact that people might be motivated to race them. I had some inkling that there were professional road cyclists out there, a la Tour de France, but any notion was vague. For me racing was seeped in the nostalgia of a sticky summer day, riding a green BMX bike with a dysfunctional coaster brake. Most likely hurtling at an irresponsible speed, chasing friends down a hill in the hot and dusty interior of BC. Later in life, a university roommate and great pal, clued me into gravel riding, the Tour Divide Race, and so on. Call it bike pack racing, call it ultra-endurance riding, call it solo-soul-searching, or call it some sort of competition of human versus wheels.

Dirt by the Seaside: Bike Touring Texada Island

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Dirt by the Seaside: Bike Touring Texada Island

The ocean felt like bathwater. A welcome reprieve from the usual cringe-producing ice bath of the West Coast of BC. I eased my way in step by step, the water picking away at the grime and sweat of a full day, mid-summer ride. Alycia strode into the water with confidence, and purpose, more at ease around water than I am. I’m always worried about hurting my feet. We climbed onto the trunk of a huge old-growth tree just out of the water, a relic of the island’s history. I could see a white motorboat in the distance, drifting lazily. I tilted my head to see if I could hear the inevitable music, cheering and the yells that I imagine would be happening on a party boat. I hear nothing, only silence and the lapping of the water on the beach.

Keep Your Wet Gear Separate From Your Dry Gear with HMPL’s Gear Tote

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Keep Your Wet Gear Separate From Your Dry Gear with HMPL’s Gear Tote

It’s a tote bag, but SO MUCH more. The Gear Tote by Canadian bag maker HMPL is packed with features to help make it the one and only bag you need when heading on an adventure, whether it be going for a mountain bike ride or heading to the beach. With a built-in moveable internal divider, you can pack your gear to the trail, then throw your wet muddy gear back in keeping it separate from your clean items! Not only that but it comes with one of HMPL’s Floor Mats for you to keep your feet dry and warm while getting ready in the dirt!

Specs:
– Available in 6 colors
– #10 Water Resistant Zipper bag closure
– Wet/Dry moveable internal divider storage system
– Water resistant “Dry” compartment to keep the goods dry
– Mesh vented ” Wet” compartment to air out the wet/dirty gear
– Internal Zipper Stash pouch
– External Zipper pocket
– Large External Slide Pocket
– Included Removable Waterproof Floor Mat
– W7.5 x H15 x L21
– 38L
– Handmade in Canada
– $333CAD

In stock and shipping now from HMPL.

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7Mesh: The Crunchy People – A 7mesh Women’s Mountain Bike Series

7Mesh is taking its women’s MTB series to new heights in the Chilcotins:

“In the parlance of our times, the Chilcotins, if you are to believe social media, have been done. Ridden, rated, reviewed and photographed to no end. They’re an awesome place to ride bikes, but some would say documented to death. But don’t believe all you read – there’s still a lot more to discover.

So in the spirit of adventure, we made some calls to local 7mesh ambassadors Laura Battista, Megan O’Brien and Angie McKirdy, mapped out a route and headed up to the often overlooked Shulaps Range for one last adventure before the alpine shut down.”

WZRD Bikes: Ritual Rack LITE Preorder and Fundraiser

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WZRD Bikes: Ritual Rack LITE Preorder and Fundraiser

Remember our Shop Visit with WZRD Bikes? Well, Em has worked on bringing this Ritual Rack LITE to life and is offering them for a pre-order for Canadian residents only.

These $500 CAD cargo rack/bar combos have the following specs:

Rise – 42.0mm
Width – 800mm
Back sweep – 10 degrees
Up sweep – 3 degrees
Paint – Black or clear coat over raw bar, brushed stainless rack

Em is also donating $50 per pre-order to  BC flood relief mutual aids and community funds. See more at WZRD Bikes.