Editor's Statement
I can still remember the first day that I rode on two wheels. It was in a neighbor’s driveway, and for whatever reason I had decided that particular summer day was the day to remove the training wheels from my department store, 1980’s bmx-like bike. With help from childhood friends that I’ve long since lost contact with, the training wheels came off and I turned circles in the driveway before going home and announcing my achievement to my parents. Amongst my friends at the time I was the last to learn to ride on two wheels, I’ve never been a particularly gifted athlete. It’s crazy to think how influential that single moment has been on my life up until now—I’ve been seriously in love with bicycles ever since. I can’t say I remember much about bicycle riding before that time, but I can’t say I remember much about life that didn’t involve riding a bicycle since.
For most kids the move to two wheels is just a step towards a move back to four. While I admittedly own a car and put a fair number of miles on it, my life has been shaped by the people I’ve met and things I’ve done on a bicycle, not in an automobile.
Each issue reflects at least some part of that story for many of our contributors. Some never stopped riding since they were a kid, others picked it up as an adult, and others still are truly just getting started. We’ve all come to it from different angles, at different times with a certain fascination with community and machine keeping each of us coming back. Not to mention, lots of fun. If going really fast on two wheels didn’t feel so universally good, I doubt many of us would be as obsessed. No matter how serious it gets I try to keep in mind what first got me hooked.
Drying out by the fire after a wet day of Allegheny National Forest bike camping with old friends. Photo by Brad Quartuccio