Guest Post from MTBV (MTB Vacations) One of the most exciting things about late summer is seeing the updated models to your favorite bikes. Whether it’s a complete overhaul, some minor geometry changes, or just new color schemes and designs, it’s all fun to see. Regardless of whether you’re in the market for a new ride, or simply looking to do some window shopping, here’s our list of the top mountain bikes of 2017. 1.  Santa Cruz Nomad The Nomad has been an endure-smashing favorite for years now. When it was redesigned in 2014, bike park riders and enduro racers alike flocked to it for ..read more

Bike Tourings' Chef Jeff gathering fresh ingredients from Natural Living Co-op Garden Our friend Louie at WhatShed has thoughtfully put together a nice introduction followed by an infographic on the health benefits of gardening.  This was his way of helping us promote our efforts at Natural Living Co-op and Garden.  Thanks Louie!  Click on photo at right in blog sidebar for more information about supporting our Natural Living Food Co-op and Cafe. Bike Tourings' with bike and trailer for deliveries, where to next? Now we know that you may be wondering why exactly Bike Tourings ..read more

Guest Post from Sophie of Best Bikes for Women When Sophie sent me her content I thought about adding some pics of Lisa instead of using Sophie's pics.  After all we've been through together this year with Hurricane Harvey, helping folks in need via our food co-op and store, then the Astros just won the World Series last night and poor Lisa's sick with a fever as I write this.  So, enjoy this post as its' more about honoring a very beautiful person in our community who happens to be a woman.  Each item has a link to an associated blog post.  Enjoy! Lisa enjoying a Mixte Co ..read more

Or Simply Use a Folding Bike for Travel Click on photo for detailed instructions and how to videos for packing your bike to take with you on for travel by plane This guest post from David Bender, an avid cyclist who has travelled to more than ten countries with his bike. describes some methods of packing your bike to affordably take with you on a plane.  He writes a lot about bikes at his blog.  When not attending to his blog he enjoys riding around the neighborhood.      How to Fly with a Bike the Cheap and Easy Method If you are a fervent mountain bike rider ..read more

How to Select a Bike for travel, Fold It! Bigger isn't always better, say hello to my little friend, '98 Dahon Mariner five speed folding bike for travel. My mission if I chose to accept it was to drive Lisa's seventy six year old mother (Grandma Lynn) from our home in League City, Texas back to her home in Phoenix, Arizona via a lengthy scenic route.   Lisa planned out a nice road trip vacation for her mother which consisted of visiting some of her mother's favorite areas including Santa Fe, New Mexico with the arts and crafts scenes that area has to offer while staying a night at ne ..read more

The 7 Most Technically Challenging U.S Mountain Bike Trails of 2017 After reading about the technical difficulty of some of the trails described, I prefer to walk : ) Hopefully all you folks who enjoy our site and blog are finding ways to beat the heat while still getting out and riding.  It's summer vacation time for many folks, so here is a timely guest post from the team at Mountain Bike Vacations (MTBV)  Enjoy and hopefully get some inspiration for your next bike tour adventure.   "We earn our turns mountain biking, and we earn our skill level. What looked frightening to u ..read more

Detours Sodo Bag and Axiom Smart Box Reviewed So impressed with the functionality and features of the Detours Sodo Bag. Detours Sodo with included rain cover Detours Sodo Handlebar Bag is currently available at such a hugely discounted price that I wanted to share the information with folks who read and depend on this blog for this type of information.  Affordable, quality bike touring gear and this product is a perfect example of that.  I don't know for certain but it seems to me that Detours Bags is going to discontinue this product so if you're looking for a nice sized handleba ..read more

New Bike Touring Fund Raiser for our Store Returning after a six month hiatus It has been six months since my previous blog post so where have I been?  Our little store was in trouble and I had to go help after the business owner who shared the lease with us decided to suddenly quit without notice.   Working at Granny B's Herb Shed in New Mexico The case of the missing juice bar.  Being a small business owner, entrepreneur or any type of self employed venture can at times feel like a test of endurance.  It's important to take some time off, retreat, recharge and refresh. &n ..read more

End of the year round up of our favorite products for bicycle touring, commuting and bike packing Selection of Bicycle Accessory Products "You can't buy happiness but you can buy a bicycle and that's pretty close".  Most bike folks and those considering taking up bike commuting, touring or recreational riding can relate to to that quote.  One of the reasons it's "pretty close" is that lots of folks after purchasing their bike for its' intended purpose find themselves needing a few more items to fulfill their bike's ability to meet their needs.  After four years of blogging, ri ..read more

Travel Ideas for Bike Friendly Las Vegas Backpacking and MTB tours abound just outside of Las Vegas Hundreds of vendors at Interbike When bike folks think of Las Vegas and bikes their first thought is of the largest annual meeting of bicycle industry leaders known as Interbike.  “The annual Interbike International Bicycle Exposition is where the bicycle industry gathers to celebrate, educate and conduct the business of cycling.  Bicycle retailers, media, importers and distributors can discover the latest in bicycle technology, including bicycle demos at the largest 2-day demo ..read more