Finished Bikepacking The Baldy Bruiser
One of the first things that happened when I got back from my Northern Tier tour in 2019 was when my brother-in-law, Sang, told me he wanted to finish bikepacking the Baldy Bruiser ride that...
One of the first things that happened when I got back from my Northern Tier tour in 2019 was when my brother-in-law, Sang, told me he wanted to finish bikepacking the Baldy Bruiser ride that...
Over and over when I talk to other bicycle tourists , they keep telling me that I need to check out the San Juan Islands. Naturally, when my cross-country trip on the Northern Tier route...
In 2019, I was given the opportunity to lead a group across the country on one of bicycle touring's highly coveted routes across the United States, the Northern Tier....
The first tour of 2019 happened in April, and I was excited to be leading a group through Big Bend National Park as well as through Big Bend Ranch State Park. The last time I...
Another one of my many jobs is working for SoCal Cross. I’ve helped with timing at their race series for a few years now. On our offseason, which is from January to September, there are...
After months and months of research, you finally did it! You decided to take the plunge and go on your first bike tour with one of the various companies out there. Congratulations!...
Do you know how to put on a helmet? How about doing the ABC Quick checks on your bike? If you’re scratching your head, let’s get back to the basics. ...
We flashback to September 2013. I had gone through about 5 months worth of weekly sessions with my therapist. I had done 3 things that had huge implications for my future well-being....
There are those of us who exclaim, “Cheater!” when you see an ebike pass you up on the road, but then, there are those who say, “One less car.” By way of deduction, you probably figured...
With every tour that I do, I am constantly evaluating the different gear that I bring. I like to bounce my ideas around with other bicycle tourists to see how they do things versus how...
If you have kids or pets and you love biking, you should be very aware of Burley trailers. These are the de facto accessory to haul your babies and fur babies on your bike rides....
This is the last video of the Route 66 route. What I’ve noticed is I shoot less and less as trips progress along. That’s why you’ll see that I have random moments captured on the...
During the summer of 2016, I was working the Trans Am bike tour for Adventure Cycling Association when I found myself in the town of Missoula, Montana with my tour partner. Throughout the tour, my...
Missouri is one of those states that I had never even considered riding through or visiting prior to my Route 66 ride. The only thing I was looking forward to seeing in Missouri was the...
Another year, another year in review and boy what a difference a year makes! I think I say that every year, but 2018 ended up to be a challenging one personally. It was challenging because...
Whether you’ve heard it from Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stone or even Depeche Mode, the lyrics to this song has inspired generations to go out and visit to see for themselves all the towns mentioned...
I figured out how to add a speedometer to my videos so here is how I do it. This should come in handy during those downhill videos....
It was brought to my attention that the Camp Pendleton Marine Corp Base is requiring a more stringent security check through their Department of Defense Biometric Identification System (DBIDS) in order to enter their base....
This is the hardest biking trip I've ever done. I'm so grateful to have 4 other people who suffered through with me. The video gives you a great overview but this post gets into the...
There have been more and more videos popping up on YouTube about bike touring on a daily basis if you haven't already noticed it. I believe this is a good thing. This allows us to...
One of the most overlooked things people don’t really think or talk about as you go on a bike tour is an itinerary. I’m sure there are those who think, “I don’t need an itinerary....
Right before I left for the Tour de Forty, I accidentally dropped my vlogging camera and had to buy another one for the trip. I settled on the Canon G7X Mark II. This camera never left...
It is hard to believe, but one of the greatest riding endeavor that I have ever taken happened over a year ago. My brother-in-law, Sang Hyun, and I both set out on our cross country...
Continuing my theme of living in my car, here is a video documenting the detailed configuration of how I transformed my 2011 Honda Fit to become my sleeping quarters for 3 weeks in 2017....
With all the riding I've been doing the past few years, you would think that I've gone on several road trips in my days. But the truth is that I have not ventured out on...
Late 2016, I went to the People For Bikes’ Draft MeetUp in Los Angeles. This event allowed folks who are working on various projects around bicycles and bicycling to come together, network and talk about...
I’ve recently been introduced to the Greek philosopher, Seneca, who said, “Everywhere means nowhere. When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends.” [Letters from...
It took 72 days to ride 3322 miles from Chino Hills, California to Saint Augustine, Florida. We crossed over 8 states, dipped our rear tire in the Pacific Ocean and then the front tire in...
I hope you had some time to process Part 1 of this blog series on bicycling nutrition, specifically for those who go on bicycle trips. So much information from my friend and certified Holistic Nutritionist, Harvey...
Introducing Harvey Slater I met Harvey when we were both introduced by a mutual friend in the Los Angeles bicycling community. He was planning a trip from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo and was needing...
Looking for a Challenge Sometimes you can’t really let things like terrible riding weather, road conditions, and elevation gains stop you from doing a bike tour. This was the case this month as 7 of us...
Another year means another year in review coming up! This time, I am reflecting on 2016, a year that we saw so many of my childhood celebrities pass (yes, I am older than I look)....
Giving Them What They Want One of my viewer on YouTube, Carol M, commented on my Lumos Helmet review to ask about how I keep my gadgets charged on a bike tour. So I decided to...
2 Years Ago In 2014, I went on my first multi-week, self-supported bicycle tour with my brother-in-law, Sang Hyun. Our trip was documented in writing and in photos previously. We also had video footage as well. While...
I enjoy a few tunes here and there, so when I saw the Aftershockz Trekz Titanium at this year’s Interbike, I couldn’t help myself but check them out. They allowed us to try them on...
In 2014, our MeetUp group started this tradition where we all play Santa Claus for a day. We asked our friends and family to donate toys for the Toys for Tots charity foundation so that...
In this video, I walk you through setting the helmet up with the remote and showing you how the iPhone app works with it. I also show you what it looks like riding at night...
When I was co-leading the Trans Am trip this summer, there was a Swedish couple who was determined to ride the entire length of the Trans American bicycle route. They are what we call EFI-ers...
Here is another unboxing video of the Aftershokz Trekz Titanium wireless headphones. So what's so special about these headphones? Instead of delivering sounds directly in your ear, it sits right outside of your ear allowing...
About a month ago, I was approached by a young college student who wanted to write about me and my dream for a class assignment. She is the daughter of a close friend to my...
My first unboxing just happened and this is a good one. I am checking out the highly anticipated Lumos Helmet. This helmet features LED turn signals as well as the standard front and rear lights. Rear light even...
This post is long overdue as it should have been published in July or August. Because I haven’t really been too vigilant in tracking my mileage on my 2013 Salsa Vaya 3 this year, the...
So what do you wear on your bike tours? Here is what I wear when I am on and off the bike. Yup, that's it for a 1-week or a 9-month bike tour. We even tickled our...
On April 17, 2014, I announced that I was leaving my full-time career to pursue other bike touring related endeavors. Fast-forward to present day, 2 ½ years later, you’re probably wondering how I make money...
If you were to tell me when I started this MeetUp group almost 2 years ago that I was going to have 17 people on one of my bike tours, I would have had a hard...
In conjunction with National Public Lands Day, Adventure Cycling made a call-out to all bicycle enthusiasts to go out and explore their parks on September 24, 2016 with their “Bike Your Park” campaign. If you were...
** EDIT 10/18/16: NSR Riding is a Korean company and not a Chinese company as I previously published. It has been 2 years since I’ve been back to an Interbike Show, and all the excitement from...
It was less than a month after the Trans Am Van tour with Adventure Cycling Association before I was solicited again at the end of August for another bike tour. I was barely coming down from...
It’s been quite some time since I have written a blog post here. Quite honestly, I haven’t really been in the writing kind of mood. It’s been a real struggle to put something on the...
This last week was such a blur. What felt like a long time during the ride crept up on us so fast that it is a bit humbling to process the thoughts right now. As...
EDIT 8/10/2016: This should have been published 2 weeks ago but I'm finally having the chance to do so now so here it is in it's original form when I started writing back at the...
When Adventure Cycling Association announced National Bike Travel Weekend in 2015, I immediately jumped on the opportunity to showcase my MeetUp group. I created an event 9 months down the line and started promoting it...
July 11, 2016 - West Yellowstone, MT to Ennis, MT The start of the week was a wet and cold one as we left West Yellowstone under cloudy and cold conditions. We rode pass Earthquake Lake...
July 4, 2016 The week started on July 4th but we didn't have the chance to celebrate our nation's birthday properly. Instead, I was driving the support van that day in Wyoming from Rawlins to Sweetwater...
I bet you're curious why I've been so quiet on this blog for the last couple of weeks. Well, if you haven't been following me on my other social media outlet, I have been on...
As soon as I came home from my Europe Trip last summer, I jumped online to look for a lighter and more compact tent. Don’t get me wrong, the tent I brought with me, the REI...
One of my goals for 2016 was to explore the local mountain ranges called the Angeles National Forest located north of the San Gabriel Valley. I’ve avoided this area because, in order to explore these...
Here is the conclusion to my presentation on May 7, 2016 at Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia. This final sequence of the video wraps up all the interesting nuances of the trip and opens things...
I thought I’d change my pace here and write about something that has been on my mind recently. I want to talk about the true spirit of bike touring. Yes, there is a spirit...
Here is part 2 of 3 in my bicycle presentation series at Stan's Bike Shop in Monrovia. If you haven't seen part 1, go here and check it out first before you watch part 2....
For the 3rd straight year, I was asked by Carlos Morales to come to his bicycle shop, Stan's Bicycle Shop in Monrovia, to give a bicycle touring presentation. I had actually agreed to do this...
Welcome back for part 2 of my “What’s In My Bag” video series. If you haven’t seen part 1 where I show you what I pack on a typical long distance bike tour, click here....
Get ready to see exactly what I bring on my bike tours in a 2 part video series I call, “What’s In My Bag.” The first part is what I would bring on my typical...
[caption id="attachment_2994" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Photo Credit: Mike Stromsoe[/caption] It is barely the month of April in 2016 and we have had quite an awesome touring season. I know it is still early to say this, but...
In our second "Everyday Bike Tourist" interview series, I talk to Joseph Philipson who in 2009 had biked over 4000 miles across the US with his riding partner Carlos Urreta. Their mission was to show that...
The amount of buzz and excitement generated from this trip was way beyond anything I had expected or experienced. When it was all said and done, we had 16 RSVPs, 116 comments, 13 riders, 12...
In this day-in-age of Facebook and constant connectivity to the Internet, it is easy for me to overlook things like buying a train ticket on Amtrak, especially since I’ve done it so many times in...
When I talk to people about bike touring for the first time, their first reaction is amazement after I tell them all the places I’ve bike toured to. Their eyes widen as I describe the...
I am kicking off an interview series called, "Everyday Bike Tourists", where I interview everyday people who decided to get out there and bike tour. My first interview is with Portlan Beckman, a special education...
When it comes to camping while on a bike tour, personal safety should not be overlooked so quickly. It is easy to become complacent and think that worst case scenarios may not happen to you,...
This week’s video addresses one main concern I used to have on the road: Did I bring the can opener? You see, I only have 1 tool that has a can opener and that’s my...
About a month ago, I wrote an article highlighting where you can go by way of the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner train. I thought I would do the same for our local commuter rail, the Metrolink....
Bike touring requires significant time on your bike. That means that at some point in time, you will suffer from saddle sores; that is, pain in your rear end. It’ll be unbearable at first, but...
"You got a Brooks?" "Nope, it’s a Selle Anatomica." "Didn’t they buy Brooks?" "Nope, Selle Italia bought Brooks." "Isn’t that the same company?" "Nope." For a saddle that has a huge underground following, the Selle Anatomica is a very confusing brand...
For this week’s video, I show you 4 things to look for when you are trying to fit yourself on a touring bike. If you intend on taking long touring trips, getting a correctly fit...
Bicycle touring is like an intricate domino course where the first brick laid down will trigger a huge chain of positive reactions. Those who have experienced it first hand will know what I am talking...
Growing up, I did not have the opportunity to be part of the Boy Scouts or any organization where they teach you hands-on survival skills in the wilderness. I had to learn most of my...
After riding to Ojai from Ventura for the fourth time, it is still very hard to believe that such beauty and serenity can be found 20 miles away. On this return trip for my MeetUp...
For those who don’t know, I will be leading a cross-country bike tour for the Adventure Cycling Association in conjunction with their 40th Anniversary this year. This will be a van tour similar to my last...
It is not every day that you get to self interview yourself so I decided to put out this video to do just that. I answer 9 riveting questions (these were the best questions I...
[caption id="attachment_2881" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Original Image By: EQRoy / Shutterstock.com[/caption] When bike tourists think about their next trip, it is most certain that planning would involve having to either take a plane or even a train. My...
One of the things I make sure to have on my bike tours is a reliable camping stove. You just never know where you’ll end up on some of these bike tours when restaurants are...
For the first item of review this new year, I finally had the chance to sit down and review the REI Flex Lite chair. I was gifted this chair last year for my birthday and...
We humans like to categorize things. We like naming things or declaring that A is better than B. Black versus white. Hot versus cold. Surly versus Salsa. And now: bike touring versus bikepacking. When I first started to travel on...
For the third year in a row, I am happy to present to you my annual mileage review. 2015 saw me traveling across Europe and down the Pacific Coast from Bellingham, Washington to Eugene, Oregon....
It’s that time of the year when I reflect on my accomplishments in the past 12 months and foresee what I can do to make things even better in the following year. It seems like...
For the second year in a row, I participated in this holiday ride around downtown Los Angeles. Beautiful decorations were admired. Hotdogs wrapped in bacon were indulged. Our festive group roamed the streets of Los Angeles with glee...
I received some emails this week from readers and one of them expressed an interest in finding out more about my cycling experience and how long I’ve been doing this. At first, I thought I...
Like many people, I am an optimist when it comes to planning a bike tour; I don’t believe that anything bad will happen. Because of my naive outlook, my expectations can be unrealistic as I’ve...
Well before REI announced their #OptOutside initiative, I had already planned a 3 day, 2 night bike tour to burn off that Thanksgiving dinner and avoid the Black Friday madness. So the idea to escape...
It is hard to believe that one year ago, I nervously decided to jump into the MeetUp world to start my own bicycle touring MeetUp group. This would be the first MeetUp group I’d start...
What is it? When my friend Rachel bought her Surly Long Haul Trucker a few years back, besides looking like any ordinary standard touring bike you would see rolling down your local street, it had 2...
Have you ever passed by a place and told yourself that you’re going to stop and check it out one of these days? Then you end up passing this same place over and over and...
When I was attending college many moons ago, I met a girl. No, it was nothing of the romantic type, but rather, a beautiful friendship. I admire her sense of adventure and her openness to...
I have written and rewritten this post several times in the past few days and have struggled to complete it. Initially, I was going to just give you a day-by-day recount of my second Adventure...
Ever since I found out that you can ride your bicycle in and around Catalina Island, it has become one of my missions to organize an overnight bike trip there. Rather than putting this at...
Before I begin my story about my first Adventure Cycling Association tour as a staff member on a tour team, I feel I need to get a few things off my chest first. I've been...
If you have been following my journeys on this blog, you will know that I go on bike tours with at least 1 person or more each time. I suppose it's a natural thing for...
Hindsight is always 20/20, and this is certainly the case when I look back on my Europe trip and think about the things we could have had that would've improved our trip. The nagging "coulda-woulda-shoulda"...
I recently completed my Trans Europe bike tour at the end of June and have been jonesing to go on another bike tour. So when it came time to figure out where to take my...
On my bike tour across Europe, there were several things that we brought that we thought would make life easier on the road, but it turned out that wasn’t the case. In fact, the items...
One of my favorite things to do when I am not riding is watch movies. Movies give you an escape from reality and have the ability to change your mood in such a way, and...
It could be writer's block. It could be me being lazy. It could just be me trying to get my life sorted out after being away for 3 months. I think it is a combination...
As I did after my Pacific Coast tour, here is the European version of the trip by numbers. Lots of interesting facts coming out of this one. The mileage was way lower than I expected....
It is always good to have a goal in whatever you do. When it comes to bike touring, I have several mini goals. And together, you can call it my bike touring bucket list. This...
When I first started bike touring, it was easy to read about someone else’s adventure and become so jealous of their trip. I started to develop this weird sense of envy, but I couldn’t just...
Times use to be simpler, where you could just take off and hope for the best. Unfortunately, hoping for the best is a rather naive way to think, especially when you have so many things...
If you’re like me, you've gone through several dozens of bicycle inner tubes. I have them in all shapes and sizes with irreparable defects. Whether they have multiple patches or the failed valve stem, I...
Liubcova (June 13, 2015) Harry and I got up to have breakfast as promised by the guest house owner at 6:30. We were ready to roll by 7. Our hostess wheeled out our bikes for us...
One of the things I "nerded" out about when I started cycling was wearing sunglasses. I love my eyes (and you should too) so I want to take care of them as long as possible....
As far as being self-sufficient goes, having the right tools to fix your bicycle when it breaks down is downright necessary. To be caught without the right tools means that you might be stranded, or...
Osijek, Croatia (June 6, 2015) We had an early jump this morning waking up at 5:30 again to beat the heat. We were packed up, had breakfast in the backyard of the pension, and left the...
99.9% of the time, I write about how bike touring is so great and so awesome. For the most part, I absolutely feel this way, except for the 0.1% of the time. These are the...
Komarom (May 30, 2015) While putting away my tent away in the morning, I found that hidden areas around the tent was covered with bugs that I referred to as earwigs. They even got between my...
To say that bike touring has changed my life would be the biggest understatement ever. Just getting back on a bicycle had a significant impact. Losing about 30 lbs and dropping about 2-3 pant sizes...
Hydration is one of the most important things on a bicycle tour. When you’re bike touring in remote locations where water facilities are not very common, having a way to carry your water is very...
Mauthausen (May 23, 2015) The familiar sound of rain woke us up in the morning. This time, not as bad as the last time. It was pretty much sprinkling through-out the night and morning before it...
One of the most rewarding things you can do on a bike tour is to fill up your camera’s memory cards with thousands and thousands of images to look back on when you’re home from...
Ingolstadt (May 16 -17, 2015) Our stay in Donauworth was pretty noisy at night. I remember still hearing the kids still playing outside well after 11PM. Harry confirmed this as well. Luckily I had my earplugs...
When I started this site, I wanted to focus on the type of bicycle touring that appealed to me the most. If you haven’t already figure that out, that type of touring is self-contained or...
I love my electronics. They make my life easier and enjoyable. From my iPhone to my cameras, I need electricity to power these devices constantly. I am sure that others out there travel with just...
Tuttlingen (May 9, 2015) Guess what? We got rain...
There’s one thing I’ve been wondering about for a while now in the world of bicycle touring, and that's: Where is the diversity? The majority of folks I’ve been noticing in conferences, forums, blogs, and...
Whenever you are on a long bicycle tour, it's the little things that can make or break your day. Little things like having good tasting water helps sweeten the day. That is why I use...
Dole (May 2, 2015) It was a rough morning in Beaune. The rain stopped for quick minute to allow us to pack up our damp camping gear and roll out. I was certainly not feeling excited...