Out and About - It’s About the Bike(s)
My 2026 has been a slow burn. The energy put into life has just been high enough to keep me both distracted and exhausted. Bit by bit I am ramping up my riding. I can’t say the same for my creativity. Oh well, I gotta accept there are highs and lows. At the moment, I can’t manage focusing both riding and creativity. I am choosing riding for now as my priority. As I have written about before, riding seems to be the place where I find peace, joy, inspiration and freedom.
So what bikes have I been riding? It seems to change with my mood. I also haven’t really ridden the same bike back to back this year. I think I just love the variety. I also get bored easily. Anyways, here is what I have been riding this year.
The Meriwether Ti Do It All
The Meriwether Ti is still my favorite bike. IMHO, this bike is pretty much perfection. As my milage is picking up and my Saturday long rides are getting longer, this is the bike I most often choose.
Tumbleweed Stargazer Ti
The TW Stargazer Ti continues to get A LOT of time and miles. It is so damn comfy. Early on in 2026 when I was working to simply increase the time on my bike, I chose this one because it is the most comfortable and the best all around rig in my bike collection. Now that I am mostly riding my Meriwether Ti on gravel, this rig is going to get its mountain wheel set put back on it.
WHB Adventure Cross
I have written about this WHB Adventure Cross bike many times. It’s a chameleon. I choose this bike when my mood isn’t clear and I just need a shake up. There is little this bike can’t do. I actually have my fastest 60+ mile ride this year on this bike. It’s steel. It’s a bit chunky (like me!) but gosh darn it, this rig just works. I blew a bearing out in the BB on my last rainy, long, gravel ride last weekend so currently it’s in the repair stand, but this bike makes a serious argument for the fabled “If I only have 1 bike” discussion. It could be just this bike. I am close to having a custom ti version of this bike made for a 2027 project. We’ll see.
The OG Salsa Cycles Fargo
I finally have my old, V1 Salsa Fargo dialed and I’ve been riding it quite a lot. Most recently, I took this bike back to its original testing grounds, in the upper Souris River Valley in North Dakota. I just love cruising through the country side on this rig. For a bike getting close to 20 years of age, I think it has aged pretty darn well. This is a bike that goes the speed it wants too. My rides are not fast on this bike. I just wonder and zig zag back and forth across the landscape with this one. Pretty proud to have been part of bringing this bike to life and re creating the Salsa brand. I love this rig and the people and memories it has brought to my life.
What will the second half of 2026 bring for bikes? More dirt. I have a few projects in the works. Maybe I’ll show ya my 32” wagon wheel bike. Stay tuned.
