As humans, we try to make sense of a lot of things by coming up with generalizations, or what some people would call stereotypes. Many of these things may be false, but they are predominantly...
When it comes to my most favorite thing that I love to wear on a bike tour, or even on a camping or hiking trip, it's got to be my Buff. This simple, yet versatile,...
Nevers (April 25, 2015) Not a good start to our forced weekend. In a matter of hours, we endured a heavy rainstorm, lightning, and thunder. The rain was so heavy and steady that it woke us...
In a recent conversation with another bicycle tourist, she had mentioned that on some of her trips, she would feel tired and pull over on the side of the road to nap. While I don’t...
Since we’re still on the topic of food in the last couple of posts, let me get into the good stuff: snacks! These are my favorite things to pick up while I am on a...
Cande-sur-Beuvrons (April 18, 2015) What a difference 24 hours make. After having one of the best riding day thus far, we endured a rain shower right after we got into our tent and through the night....
If you are an active individual and have done any type of long distant training, whether it is for a bike tour, race, or even running, you may have heard of the term “bonking." This...
We talked about quick breakfast ideas that are my go-to's in camp, so now let’s focus on dinner. I’m skipping lunch since I usually eat out and rarely cook during the day so that I...
Biarritz (April 11, 2015) We woke up ready to ride on Saturday morning! Got our bikes loaded up and we left the hotel in search of breakfast. The one thing they lack in Europe as I've...
It is hard to believe that it has been a year since I left my full-time job at Sony Pictures Entertainment. It is actually even more surreal as I am writing this post a month...
One of my favorite meals during a bike tour is breakfast. This is the meal that makes or breaks your day. It always seems that a good breakfast is a good indicator of how you...
[caption id="attachment_2358" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Pamplona City Hall. This is the center of all the action during the running of the bulls in July![/caption] I can't believe the first week in Europe has ended so soon. Although...
One of the things I think about a lot when I am on a bike tour is nutrition. Many people think that since you burn so many calories on the road, you can practically eat...
When you gain more knowledge and experience in bike touring, you learn how to pack efficiently and know what you're going to bring on your camping trips. You’ve heard all the reasons not to pack...
[caption id="attachment_2295" align="alignnone" width="840"] Trip by dots[/caption] I can't believe it has come down to days and not weeks before my departure to Europe. I am both excited and nervous. Yes nervous. So many things to...
There are 2 things you need to know about me. The first thing is I was not born in the United States. I was born in Vietnam. Both my parents are Chinese. We immigrated over...
If you’re like me, you got into bike touring by mistake. Chances are, you took the plunge into bicycling when your coworker or your friend begged you to be part of their team, whether it...
One week left! Oh man, oh man. Do you like the photo above? Created by Crazy Harry. Real good stuff! To truly get into the mood of everything, I went on an overnight bike tour with my...
Looking back on my life, fear has dominated my outlook and ambition on more than one occasion. It was not until recently that I have learned to recognize when fear is taking hold of me...
As the countdown for my trans-Europe continues, I have been thinking and rethinking about what I need to do before I leave the country for 3 months. When you’re planning for an epic tour like...
Here's a video of me disassembling my 2013 Salsa Vaya 3 and then try to reassemble it again. It took me 42 minutes to pull it apart and 48 minutes to put it all back...
Just writing that title is making me feel uneasy. I can't believe in about 2 weeks I will be in Europe and ready for my trip. Thankfully I have been doing things the past few...
One of my favorite exercises off the saddle has been yoga. I have been practicing it on and off for about a year now and feel that it is complementary to bike touring. I asked...
[caption id="attachment_2128" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Group shot at the end of the ride.[/caption] When I told my friends in the LA bike community that this year would be the first time that I will be riding the...
When you live in Los Angeles, you sometimes forget that we live in such a diverse conditions to allow us to get away in places like the beach or up in the mountains. On March...
There are a few of us who are fortunate enough to have a travel partner who enjoys bike touring. But I would bet that there are more often than not, partners who do not share...
If you've followed me from the beginning, you may have noticed that my go-to SoCal overnight trip is riding from Ventura to Ojai to Dennison Park and staying for a night and riding back. It...
We are back to 4 weeks to go for our trans Europe trip. This week I wrap up the rest of our trip and complete the itinerary planning through Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania. Our flight out...
** This topic is a bit dry and may be difficult to understand. I encourage you to ask questions or seek help at your local bike shop or bicycle repair collectives. When it comes to...
It is rare these days that you go somewhere and not see people wearing these ultra popular puffy jackets. I am talking about these lightweight and packable jackets from companies, like North Face, Patagonia, and...
[caption id="attachment_2056" align="alignnone" width="640"] Cable stops installed with cable wire splitters.[/caption] Change is part of life as you know. It is certainly not any different when it comes to planning for a bicycle tour. Especially one that involves...
I haven’t told anybody this until now, but after my 1 month tour down the Pacific Coast, I was a victim of Post Tour Depression. Bicycle Touring 101 had a guest post from Hank Raines...
Here is a short 2 minute clip of last weekend's bicycle touring MeetUp in Ojai. The ride report from yesterday should help fill in the gaps of what exactly happened. As mentioned in that post, I wasn't...
If you told me back in November, when I was just thinking about starting up the first Los Angeles based self-supporting bicycle touring MeetUp group, that I was going to have 12 participants on my...
We picked up where we left off from last week at Regensburg, Germany and make our way through Austria. The highlight of this leg of the trip takes us through the cities of Linz and Vienna...
There is probably a list somewhere on the Internet explaining what you should bring on a bike tour. Heck, I have given you my list of essentials before! So instead of showing you what I...
This week I had the chance to meet with Harry to double-check on some logistics and check out gears. It looks like Harry is ready to roll with all he's taking with him to Europe....
If you haven’t already noticed, I have dedicated this week to cover all things Garmin Edge Touring related, so this post is not any different. I will walk you through creating turn-by-turn navigation in just 3 easy...
In my previous post, I talk about the merits of having a cycling computer and why one would want one. I was luckily gifted one last year for my birthday, so I’ve only recently started...
I remember when I first got into bicycling back in college, one of the first thing I bought was a Cateye Mity 2 cyclometer. It was a basic device that mounted on my handlebar with...
I am trying something new this week - Story Saturdays. I am going to highlight bike travel stories that I get from the Internet. To kick off the first week, I have 2 journeys to...
[caption id="attachment_1963" align="alignnone" width="918"] Illustration purpose. Not exact route[/caption] It is Friday and you know what that means? My weekly update of my Trans-Europe bike tour trip update. With only a month and half left, it...
During my recent Bike Touring 101 presentation, there was a question asking what Warm Showers is. And then there was another question coming from my own personal Facebook account from an old co-worker of mine...
It has been awhile since I posted up a vlog but here is the latest one from our Cogswell Dam overnight bike tour last weekend, January 25th to 26th. If you want to know more about...
Harry and I did not meet this week but it didn't mean nothing was done. He is trying to figure out accommodations and car rental possibilities from Madrid. The original plan was to take the...
[caption id="attachment_1934" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Obligatory pre-ride photo[/caption] A couple week’s ago, our friends over at Path Less Pedaled put out a challenge. The idea is to go on a bike tour every month in 2015. Since...
[caption id="attachment_1926" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Team Also Touch Group Photo - September 19, 2011[/caption] In the past, this blog focused a lot on bicycle touring from a self-supported perspective. It’s true that I’ve even started a MeetUp...
For this week, I laid down the baseline of all the towns that James Chassee had stopped with mileage and information. I matched it up with my start dates and saw that if we got to...
Watch Part 1 Watch Part 2 The last of the series of Bike Touring 101 from January 17, 2015 presentation at Stan’s Bike Shop. This video is very long but informative as both Monica and I fielded questions...
Watch Part 1 Here is the conclusion to our Bike Touring 101 presentation from January 17, 2015. We wrap up the charity ride portion, discuss Inn-to-Inn, and Self-Supported bicycle touring types. I realize the audio was...
Here is the first video from my Bike Touring 101 presentation on Saturday, January 17, 2015. This video is a little over 7 minutes and covers our introductions, the 3 types of bicycle tours, and we also go...
[caption id="attachment_1900" align="alignnone" width="1024"] The map of the Euro Velo routes in Europe. We're looking at France.[/caption] I received a huge response on January 1st when I revealed that I will be taking a three-month bicycle...
When it comes to traveling on your bike, short or long distance, it's not always going to be smooth sailing… riding. It is not “if,” but “when” you will be harassed or yelled at by...
Do you remember going on your first road trip in a car? Remember how bored you were? To help pass the time, you turned to road trip games like “I Spy” or the “License Plate”...
[caption id="attachment_1872" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Dip in Big Sur 2010[/caption] As you evolve in bicycle touring or even bicycle riding in general, you may be told that if you really want to improve your biking, you should ride...
I am happy to announce that I will take part in a Bike Touring 101 presentation again this year on January 17th at 3PM. Same location at Stan’s Bike Shop in Monrovia. Our presentation last...
At about this time last year, I talked about my bicycle mileage review in general. Reading that article and looking at my current situation right now, I can’t but feel proud of my accomplishment. So...
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” - Henry David Thoreau In my last post, I shared my year in review, and I have to...
“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” - Margaret J. Wheatley, Writer & Behavior Management Consultant Like many businesses and blogs out there, this is the...
“Courage doesn’t happen when you have all the answers. It happens when you are ready to face the questions you have been avoiding your whole life.” ― Shannon L. Alder If you read my post last year,...
When planning a bike tour, there are 3 factors that comes into play. (1) Are you healthy enough to take the trip? (2) Can you afford to take the trip? (3) Do you have enough...
Chances are you are reading this post because you are looking for a product review for a Salsa Vaya 3 and came across my 1000 mile review last year. In that post, I promised to...
Many people go on bicycle tours on their own. It’s an added accolade that you rode your bike in challenging conditions, faced obstacles after obstacles, and on top of all that - you did it...
In Los Angeles we are fortunate to have good weather and CicLAvia. Combined the two with a part of LA that people have rarely ridden through, you have the best CicLAvia of the year. I was able...
Many of you are knee-deep in snow and are thinking of ways to get yourself out there to run your errands. We are in full-swing of this year’s holiday season. Hopefully you’ve looked at my...
[caption id="attachment_71" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Longtail touring bicycle.[/caption] I remember when I took my first bicycle tour on my Xtracycle back in 2009. You would have thought I was traveling for an entire month, but it was...
In this week's vlog episode, I go on another hike the Saturday after Thanksgiving weekend. We started our trip at the Vons in Claremont and made our way to the trailhead parking lot at around...
It's that time of year again! You’re looking for that one spectacular gift for the bicycle tourist in your life and you just can’t figure out what would be appropriate. Good thing I am here...
I have a confession to make. I have never attended a MeetUp event, but I just started my first MeetUp group. Now that I got that off my chest, let me tell you why you should overlook...
In this week's vlog episode, I go on 3 different bike rides in the past 2 weeks and brought my camera with me. First trip is me riding down the Ballona Creek to Marina Del...
[caption id="attachment_1750" align="alignnone" width="1024"] CicloSDias' 6th Street[/caption] When I was working on my travel plans for the National Bicycle Tourism Conference for November 5th to November 8th, I was reminded by someone in my social network...
One of the most crucial parts of bicycle tour is making sure you get back home safely. Having enough food, water and shelter is important for a bicycle tour, but if you don’t get to...
I spent the weekend of November 8th and 9th in San Diego after the National Bicycle Tourism Conference. I went to my first CicloSDias in the Hillcrest area with my buddy Portlan. We explore the 2.5...
[caption id="attachment_1715" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Fleet of San Diego's Bike Share Bikes[/caption] This is the second part of a two-part event write-up from the 2014 National Bicycle Tourism Conference. The first part can be found by clicking...
This is the first of a two-part article going over my experience at the conference for the first two days. The second part is found here. Do you remember about the same time last year I...
Watch vlog episode 11 and see what we saw on November 4th and 5th as we bicycle tour down to San Clemente and then San Diego. The trip didn't go without a hitch as Sang...
It's finally Friday! Hopefully your week was productive and you're ready to go outside for a quick hike. Hopefully you find inspiration here as I document our hike up the Vetter Mountain Trail on November...
On a rare occasion where Southern California received a good downpour over night, I went over to the city of La Puente to help with their Health Fitness and Wellness Fair. The rain did not...
On August 17, 2014, I attended an event hosted by the Los Angeles County Bicycle Coalition (LACBC) called, “Hot August Bike” at Amoeba Records in Hollywood. Amongst the many vendors there, the helmet company Bern...
I highlight the October 2014 BikeSGV Bike Train which starts at the Santa Fe Dam Recreation Area and we ride north up the San Gabriel River Bike Trail and made our way to the San...
Johnny goes to his first cyclocross race at Irvine Lake for Socal Cross Spooky X...
Believe it or not, bike touring can be an expensive endeavor. My bike tour down the Pacific Coast in July costed about $1269 for a month-long excursion (see my previous post, “A Pacific Coast Bike...
I hope you enjoyed my last few episodes of the vlog from my New England bicycle tour. In case you missed it, start here or jump to my last episode to catch up. For my next...
Happy Halloween! For our 5th vlog, I wrap up our New England trip as we leave our Couch Surfing host's house in Newport. We traveled back to Massachusetts to catch the commuter rail from Lakeville...
I gave you my reasons why I prefer to bike tour with 2 panniers in my previous post. Just to make things interesting, here are the reasons why I also bike tour with a full...
In this fourth vlog video, I show you where we stayed the night in Providence at our gracious Warm Showers hosts' house. They opened their place to all 8 of us and offered us food...
[caption id="attachment_846" align="alignnone" width="640"] Johnny on Sulfur Mountain Road[/caption] Besides a touring bicycle fitted with a rear rack, the next most popular accessory to go on bicycle tours are your panniers. Panniers are a necessity to...
For my third vlog episode, Evadne and I meet up with the rest of our group to continue our bicycle tour down to Providence, Rhode Island from the Worcester Union Station. We were 8 people strong...
To follow-up to my inaugural vlog post on Wednesday, I give you the second episode. In this video, my friend Evadne and I ride out from the Boston area towards the middle of Massachusetts to...
One of the most interesting offerings Johnny saw at Interbike 2014 was a device mount from WoMo Designs. They were offering a dual mounting system for handlebar devices. The President of the company offered an...
I am proud to debut my first ever video blog or vlog for short! In this pilot episode, I am traveling from Los Angeles to Boston on October 8th and exploring Boston the following day with...
Many people out there live and grow up in the same town that they were born in and never have the intention to leave this town. They are perfectly fine where they are and would...
One of the things I am most proud of in my previous life as a business professional in a corporate environment is that I had the opportunity to volunteer and give back to my community....
[caption id="attachment_1675" align="alignnone" width="1024"] What remains in my office[/caption] A big challenge I have been facing is staying focused on whatever I have on hand, and more importantly, staying motivated. For those who don’t know, I...
Click here to pre-order your shirt! On Tuesday, September 16, 2014, the California Vehicle Code was updated with a new law called the Three Feet for Safety Act, C.V.C. 21760. This new law calls for motor...
Our attention this week turns to the City of Sin to take part in the premiere bicycle industry event: Interbike 2014. For those who don't know what Interbike is, it is the biggest bicycle trade...
We are borrowing something our friend, Evadne, who posted on her Tumblr blog in revealing our Pacific Coast bike tour by the numbers. Enjoy! 78178: elevation gained (ft) 77760: calories burned 4840: highest elevation gain in a day (ft) 1413: total...
We’ve had a whole month to process and relive our adventure by telling stories to friends and family. Here are some questions that both Sang Hyun and I decided to answer independently about our trip. Q...
On our bicycle tour down the Pacific Northwest, we were constantly stopped by strangers asking about one thing. They would look and ask, “What is that behind your bike?” For those who knew what it...
Here you are sitting at home, planning your next bicycle tour. You’re making or reviewing your list of things to bring on the trip. Camping gear ready - check. Clothes all sorted - check....
[caption id="attachment_1452" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Last day at Fisherman's Wharf[/caption] I can’t believe it has been 2 weeks since we came back from our month-long Pacific Northwest bike tour from Vancouver to San Francisco. Neither of us has...
[caption id="attachment_1397" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Johnny & Sang Hyun at the Golden Gate Bridge[/caption] This is it. The final post of our trip. With only about 25 miles to ride, we finally arrive to our destination in...
[caption id="attachment_1391" align="alignnone" width="640"] Climb up Bodega Bay Hill[/caption] Our only hot day of the trip as we leave the coastal route and head into the town of Petaluma and eventually into San Rafael for a...
[caption id="attachment_1384" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Can you spot the seal?[/caption] My body finally felt fatigued as I pedaled out of camp in the morning with Sang Hyun. We had tailwind but that was not very helpful as...
Our group of 2 became a group of 4 today as said good-bye to Yves and Linda (the French Canadian couple) and rolled into town for a big breakfast at Dennys. Portlan and Roberto left...
[caption id="attachment_1372" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Finally on Highway 1[/caption] This was probably one of our least favorite days so far in our trip down the Pacific Coast. Not only did we need to climb the highest hill...
[caption id="attachment_1362" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Sang Hyun through the Shrine Tree[/caption] With only about 4 days left to get to San Francisco, I am a bit overwhelmed with a bit of sadness. Sadness not just because the...
[caption id="attachment_1359" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Look up at giant redwoods[/caption] This is our 4th and last rest day before we make it into San Francisco. We couldn't have asked for anything better than what we've been given...
[caption id="attachment_1341" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Carson Mansion in Eureka[/caption] The goal for today was to be on the Avenue of the Giants before sunset to give us extra time to explore for a bit. What we got for...
We were joined by Portlan on today's ride from Elk Prairie campgrounds down to the Eureka KOA. Portlan normally leaves earlier than any of us to get into camp first. He had been successful a...
[caption id="attachment_1316" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Lighthouse in Crescent City[/caption] The major highlight for today was we finally made it back to our home state of California after being gone since June 25th. It's amazing to even think...
The plan for today was simple. We wake up to a beautiful sunny day and ride 48 miles south to our camp in Harris Beach State Park, Oregon. At camp, we all talked about meeting...
When I was looking at our route for today the night before, I couldn't help but noticed the coincidental naming of some of the roads and cities that we were going to be travel on...
[caption id="attachment_1278" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Sunset Bay[/caption] Waking up from a warm and soft bed this morning to go out on the road to endure a day of gloomy cold weather was not appealing at all. We...
[caption id="attachment_1268" align="alignnone" width="640"] Knocked out![/caption] During our third day off of our trip, we settled into somewhat of a natural flow. We both already knew what needed to happen this day - breakfast, laundry, blog,...
[caption id="attachment_1261" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Foggy view from Cape Perpetua[/caption] As we approached our third rest day for our trip, we found ourselves leaving a campsite on the beach for the comfort of a motel room and...
[caption id="attachment_1236" align="alignnone" width="1024"] House on the cliff[/caption] Today marks the first day of the second half of our trip. We planned for 32 days on the road and here we are waking up at a...
[caption id="attachment_1229" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Cape Lookout[/caption] This day was a bit of randomness as we break our riding squad of 4 in half. 1 group taking on an 85 mile stretch through 1500 feet of climbing...
This was a day to remember. We rode as a team of four, was challenged by a couple of steep hills, pedaled through beautiful locations, and ended on a lower note with a horrible dinner...
[caption id="attachment_1210" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Willapa Sanctuary[/caption] Having a day off was certainly nice. Even though we both enjoyed our time at the KOA, we had to pack everything up and see the rest of the Pacific...
It seems that each off day offers something different than the previous ones so far. This is only our second day off, but what we did for fun was entirely different than what we did...
On the next day of our trip, we all said farewell as Sang Hyun and I headed south towards Bay Center, Washington while Victoria and Evadne headed north to grab breakfast as Westport. Knowing that...
This was the day when we were to ride the most mileage in one sitting about 77 miles total to get from the Hood Canal all the way to the Pacific Ocean. At the...
We got up early today on a mission to reserve 1 of the 3 hiker/biker spots. The only problem was that we have the highest single climb of our trip today and we'll have...
Our journey began at the campsite near Anacortes and takes us through Deception Pass. We take our last ferry ride over to Port Townsend....