“A Special Place in Hell for Bike Thieves”Phillip Barronpublished in Urban Velo, Issue 8 (download the whole issue or read it online) A neighbor recently posted a note to the neighborhood listserv that his daughter’s bike was stolen. The bike was unlocked, leaning against another (adult) bike, which was locked. Both were on a semi-enclosed front porch; one could have determined that the kid’s bike was unlocked only if (s)he had seen someone park the bike without securing it, or (s)he walked up on the porch to find out. Either way, this is a pretty bold move for a community […]
Column: Cycling through Mexican streets is enjoyable
Phillip BarronThe Herald SunAugust 11th, 2005 OAXACA, MEXICO — After asking at a taller de bicicletas (a bike shop) whether I could rent a bike, a mecanico leads me across the street to Pedro Martinez. Sr. Martinez is a former Olympic mountain biker who rents bikes and leads tours in Oaxaca, Mexico. His office is small, just big enough for a counter, ten bikes to hang tightly against the wall, and shelves for helmets and cycling shoes. A collection of cycling jerseys hangs overhead, and inside the glass case that forms the counter are cassettes, pedals, hubs, and derailleurs. What […]
SSpots of Time
Phillip BarronOriginally published by BikeReader. Sweet are those moments when all your skills converge and you clear a technical section with more grace than you thought possible. That’s what I call flow. Others call it groovin’ or dialed-in. “’Spots of time’ was the phrase Wordsworth used for such moments,” says Appalachian writer Ron Rash, “but the poet’s words were no better than mine because what I felt was beyond any words that had ever been used before. You need a new language.” I hope you have experienced what I’m talking about. It’s a rush like no other. In the mountain […]