Trek Checkmate

The Wait is Over

My favorite gravel bike EVER was my Kona Libre. It was very light and comfortable and fun, and I had a lot of great adventures on it. Then I sold it to my friend Sarah during the pandemic and never replaced it. OK, yes, I did build a cool aluminum Checkpoint. It’s a great bike, […]

Sarah's bike with nearly 2% of all her camping gear.

Sarah’s Santa Cruz Highball

Having the luxury of beginning my mountain bike journey on a full suspension bike, I was always interested in trying a hardtail, sure for efficiency’s sake, but also for overnight trips on trails requiring a bit more than a gravel rig, but not quite all the squish. With 100mm of front travel and weighing in at a […]

Lauren’s Quincy

Editor’s Note: Pedal purchases a demo bike for year-round employees. In exchange, the employee must make the bike available for clients to demo and write a brief summary of their experience with the bike. This entry represents Lauren paying her dues. Oh so legit.  Oh so gorgeous.  Oh so fun.   Before riding gravel, I […]

2020 Kona Hei Hei CR Race

Hey

This new bike might make it look like I don’t like the Blur. And the Blur might make it seem like I don’t like the Epic. None of that is quite true. I love riding mountain bikes, and I love learning more about how they work and feel. I also enjoy a good project. I’m […]

Commuting Como 3.0

Riding to work, to the store, and to spontaneous local destinations have become second nature with the 2020 Turbo Como 3.0. Como gets you where you need to be, sweat free and all smiles.  When you’re ready for a workout, turn down the battery and pump those legs! It’s impossible to find an excuse to […]

Jess’s Stumpjumer ST

Editor’s Note: Our Gal Jess has been riding a Specialized Stumpjumper Expert 29 all summer. It’s a lot of name and a lot of bike. In Jess’s words… Mountain biking has become my “adult” replacement plan for organized sports, or as some may call it, sports ball. In looking for the right bike for my […]

Kalyn’s Tarmac Disc Comp

Editor’s Note: the blog might say that Tim authored this post, but Kalyn is the real author. A few days ago, someone asked me why I chose cycling over any other sport. To me, the answer seemed obvious: through cycling, I am able to connect with the world around me by exploring new places, adventuring […]

Jim’s Checkpoint

Know what this blog needs? More voices. Our Man Jim Kindle got a new Checkpoint SL 6 a little while ago, and he’s nice enough to write a few words about the budding relationship between man and bike. — I got this bike because gravel riding and racing have become some of my favorite types […]

Impressions of the Epic Carbon Comp

Dave Hauschild has been riding bikes a long time. He knows about half-step gearing. He has a penchant for steel road bikes. His mountain bike, until recently, was a 26″ model with zero suspension. I was surprised and pleased when Dave picked out a carbon Epic for his demo. Here’s what he has to say: […]

2018 Specialized CruX Expert X1

Editor’s note: In the continuing series of bike reviews by employees, here’s one from J’Son, the manager of our Romence Road location. When we announced this program, J’Son was very decisive in his choice of bike, something for dirt road racing and cyclocross. J’Son chose to write his review as more of a Q&A than […]

The Stumpjumper or… How I stopped worrying and learned to love the squish

Editor’s note: We started a new program in early 2018 in which Pedal would fund a new bike for full-time employees. There are very few restrictions. Employees are encouraged to get something they’d really like, but might not purchase themselves. In exchange for the bike, folks were asked to write a longer-term review of their […]