When I got off the plane in Portugal, I waited for my bike to appear on the Oversized Luggage conveyer belt. I paced around for a half hour. Growing nervous, I asked the first airport employee I could about it and was told to just wait longer. After 45 miserable minutes, the box materialized with visible damage, but at least my ride could begin.

I spent three months cycling solo in Western Europe with no itinerary or set plans. I pedaled the coasts of Portugal, Spain, France, and Italy: a total of 3,000+ miles. At the end of each day, I made a spontaneous decision as to where to lay my head for the night. I often pitched my tent in a patch of woods, just off the road somewhere and hopefully out of sight. In urban areas, I would check into a hostel, meeting travelers and a taking a celebratory hot shower. When lucky, I would find a host via Warmshowers, a network for touring cyclists, and be welcomed into the home of a local bike-enthusiast!

I faced challenges big and small, from a potentially lost bike to sickness in the cold. The payoff, however, was rich: I beheld incredible landscapes, experienced wonderful cultures, and made the most of a tremendous adventure. Over the next few weeks I’ll be sharing scenes from my trip and reflections on the experience I had. Stay tuned for future posts!   – Val

Josh and Pete just wrapped up this custom Piolet build up as an all weather, all terrain vehicle for one of our regulars.  It’s difficult to point out “highlights” when basically every part is something special, down to color matching the bar end plugs with the tubeless presta valves.  We spec’d the build from the ground up to be not just an aesthetic object, but a reliable and durable utilitarian bicycle.

Drivetrain is a 1×11 Shimano SLX with White Industries M30 cranks and narrow-wide ring, with Shimano Saint pedals.

Wheels include WTB Trailblazer tires, WTB KOM rims, Shimano XT rear hub, and a Schmidt SON 28 hub (paired with a Busch & Muller Lumotec IQ dynamo headlight).

Brakes are SRAM Guide hydraulic brakes, Brooks Cambium C17 saddle, Sim Works Beatnik seatpost, Sim Works Rhonda stem, Chris King Headset,  Soma Osprey bars, and ESI Chunky grips with Sim Works SimDrops bar plugs.
We loved this project, not just to make an excellent custom bicycle, but to revel in a labor of love.

Kip’s words on the Superb blog puts it best:

“It has been an honor to serve this Beacon St neighborhood. Superb was the 2009 reinvention of Boston Bicycle. Renovated and redesigned out of love and a clear vision to add a new style to bicycle retail, Superb has developed a national and international audience. While departing from our storefront at 842 Beacon St, we will continue the concept as Superb returns home to where it began at 259 Mass Ave Cambridge: the home of Cambridge Bicycle. Here our provisions and staff will unite under one roof to offer an even greater customer experience. We hope to see you there and thank you for helping us progress the culture of cycling.”

— Superb Bicycle and Cambridge Bicycle

Want to go for a ride and Freeway Your Mind, a scavenger hunt ride hosted by Bodega and Superb Bicycle. You and your friends could win a new bike or some cool merch and accessories from the new Carhartt WIP x Pelago x Mission Workshop collection. More details here— RSVP today!

There’s nothing like a group adventure to escape routine and unwind.  We partnered with Swift Industries‘ to make a Boston event happen!  About a dozen of us left Cambridge and headed to Harold Parker State forest for an sub-24 hour overnighter. Our mechanic Greg took a few shots of the action, and you can find more coverage on Instagram. It was a great time with good riding, great company, s’mores and drinks by the fire, complete with coffee in the morning and a relaxing Sunday jaunt back into town.   We’ll definitely be doing this again. Curious about bike camping in Boston? Stop by anytime and we’ll get you up to speed.