Biking
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What are the advantages of a full suspension bike versus a hardtail? I bike on trails and roads. Jake Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
I’m a year-round bike commuter and errand runner (this summer I made a tank of gas last four months). However, the arrival of my son has altered my lifestyle. How old does he have to be before he can ride in a trailer? And which trailer do you recommend? I'd like it to convert to a stroller relatively easily. Also, we’d like a double in case we are lucky enough to adopt a second child. Either that or just to accommodate enough groceries. Karin Mountain View, California
I ride in the land of skinny tires and shiny legs. Unfortunately, my skinny tires are shouldering the load of a 220-pound guy and have more than their share of flats. A friend suggested buying a CO2 inflator to speed up tube changes. What should I look for? And can you overinflate a tube to the point you blow out the sidewall of a tire? Larry Long Beach, California
Here, read the winning essay from Outside's Seven Cycles contest as well as the four other finalists
I'm a 57-year-old female cyclist who likes long day rides and touring. I have always enjoyed a quick, responsive bike, but I'm now experiencing arthritis and neck pain with the current, fairly extreme, bike configurations. I guess I need a new bike. What type should I buy?
I just starting to mountain bike, and I have no idea how to find the right bike for me. I don’t do hardcore trails, and I know that I want a hardtail. I have been looking at Marin bikes such as the Palisades and Juniper, but my preferred price is around $550. Have any suggestions? John Auburn, Alabama
Ever since a friend of mine announced that he and his wife wanted to do the next Paris-Brest-Paris bike race (in four years), I have been bitten by the bug and have decided to do it, too. I will be training a lot at night and will need a lighting system. What do you suggest? Gary Denver, Colorado
A nail recently tore a one-inch hole in my nice new Pearl Izumi Ultrasensor bib shorts. The tear is just to the right of center; not on a se. Are these things repairable?
I recently purchased a 1970s Ghisallo ten-speed bike. What can you tell me about this brand? Bob Lebanon, New Jersey
Italy’s Wilier Triestina rose to prominence by making bikes for winners of the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the years immediately after World War II. In recent decades, Wilier has continued to make pro-level bikes for European riders. Now the legendary brand is crossing the pond with…
I've decided to do the Lotoja Classic this year, a 206-mile ride from Logan, Utah to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. I've done several century rides and the distance doesn't intimidate me (although it probably should), but the elevation does. I live at sea level and there are several climbs over 7,000 feet. How can I best train for the altitude while living at sea level? Thanks!
In our July 2007 Tour de France special, “Stage Fright” we featured a series of stateside rides that mimic those on Le Tour. Here see maps of those rides by clicking on the links below.
Our coverage of this year's Tour includes up-to-date standings, blog entries from our resident cycling fanatic, and exclusive photo galleries from both the race and the mayhem that occurs behind the race. PLUS: Epic rides within the U.S. where you can stage your own Tour.
Read all of Outside's recent coverage of cycling's drug problem and the major players in the sport's continuing scandals.
My road bike has been in hiding for months now. But I sense warmer weather right around the corner. Can you walk me through a tune-up? Matt Gloucester, Massachusetts
A year after Katrina crashed the Big Easy's party, former local WELLS TOWER returned to check up on New Orleans's most beloved outdoor escape, the path on top of the Mississippi River levee. But, as he found, biking the high lonesome trail is no longer such an easy thing.
In the March, 2007 issue of Outside, Dispatches editor John Bradley sat down with recently-reinstated pro cyclist Tyler Hamilton for a candid conversation with the 36-year-old about coming back from exile. Here, read more of Bradley’s interview with Hamilton where he discusses his court battles, Floyd Landis, and his new team.
Adventure sports are more factionalized than religion. And I'm feeling like a heretic.
How does a goofy-looking snowboarder become America's most coveted corporate pitchman? If you're Shaun White, you win Olympic gold, stick to your guns, and seek career advice from the king of crossover, Tony Hawk.
ROBBIE BOURDON eats dirt near Kamloops, British Columbia Where were you? Send your photos of misadventure through our So There I Was Entry Form…
It's been said that all athletes die twice. Add to that: unless you're Lance Armstrong. In his first year away from cycling, the seven-time Tour de France winner has raised millions to fight cancer, hosted the ESPYs, become part owner of a cycling team, and trainedsomewhatfor his first marathon. (All…
Italian cycling legend Ottavio Bottecchia's macabre end remains murky.
I’m looking for a high-top mountain-bike shoe to protect my very badly sprained ankle when I ride. But I want one that’s not a winter boot. Any suggestions? Sean Holyoke, Massachusetts
Name: Paul “P-Rod” Rodriguez Jr. Home: Chatsworth, CA Gig: Skateboarding Height: 5’8″ Weight: 148 Age: 21 Paul Rodriguez Jr. is the first skateboarder to join sporting…
The 2006 Tour de France winner has been accused of doping after an atypical ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone was found in his system
Early last week, Tour de France favorite Floyd Landis dropped a bombshell: The American rider has been suffering from the bone disease osteonecrosis for two seasons and will require career-altering hip replacement surgery after the Tour. The painful condition, caused by a 2003 crash, has hardly slowed the 30-year-old rider…
Discovery Team's sports director Johan Bruyneel and 2005 Tour stage winner George Hincapie on their first year without Lance, the game plan, and how the Americans are looking this year.
Tour dominance by LeMond and Armstrong has given the Euros fits for two decades. And if this group of U.S. pros is any indication, their suffering has only just begun.
If Floyd Landis and his Phonak teammates stumble on the road to Paris, they won't be able to blame their bikes. Built around the most advanced carbon-fiber frame on the market—the Pro Machine SLC01, from Swiss manufacturer BMC—Phonak's $8,600 ride boasts technical gadgetry, wind-cheating designs, and revolutionary materials that make it the en
We could tell you that the Tour de France battle between Germany’s Jan Ullrich and Italy’s Ivan Basso will be one for the ages. Or we could say that brash American Floyd Landis will smoke them both and score another win for the Yanks. Honestly, though, we don’t know what’s…
Two decades after Greg LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France, the world's biggest bike race is our party now. The only question: How long will we stay?
From his offbeat stunts (he once drank 15 cappuccinos in one sitting) to his anything-goes demeanor (see Exhibit a—the fur coat—on page 4), Floyd Landis is the anti-Lance in every way but one: He'll stop at nothing in his quest to finish the Tour de France wearing the yellow jersey.
An exclusive conversation with Floyd Landis's training adviser
Meet the Champions Club, an elite group of bike-crazy execs who are richer than Croesus, can hammer with Lance, and are donating millions to ensure a gold-plated future for U.S. cycling
All Tour, all the time. Get all your Tour de France updates and exclusive content from Outside Online here.
Two Italian brothers launch a woodworking renaissance in the mountains of Montana
Twenty-four-hour mountain-bike champion Monique Sawicki catches an entire sport by surprise
Our man reports from the scene of the inaugural Amgen Tour of California for what proved to be a major coup for U.S. cycling, with an estimated one million spectators and eight American riders in the top ten.
After beatiing cancer and winning the Tour de France seven times, Lance Armstrong is vowing to fight one more battle. In the face of persistent allegations that he used performance-enhancing drugs, Lance says he's had enough - and over the coming months he will confront his shadowy accusers in courtrooms and legal proceedings in the U.S., England, and France. W
My girlfriend and I are heading down the West Coast for a multi-week bike tour this summer. I'm trying to get some good information about the best tires for my touring bike (700c size). We want to be efficient and not get any flats. Can you help me, Gear Guy? David Seattle, Washington
Welcome to the Tour FAQ—find out how the riders go to the bathroom, what all those cycling terms actually mean, what Lance hopes to do after the race, what kind of bikes you can buy to live out your own Tour aspirations, and more...
As he rolls for number seven, wrap your mind around the life and legacy and farewell Tour de France of Lance Armstrong—hero, dad, six-time King of the World, rock-star arm candy, and (sometime after '06) the next! governor! of Texas!
U.S. Postal redefined how a Tour de France team should be built. But with new riders, new sponsorship, and new demands within the sport, can Lance and his teammates live up to their pedigree and grab a seventh yellow jersey?
From 1996 to 2004, the U.S. Postal Service pro cycling squad, a.k.a. Lance's team, was a veritable Harvard Business School for ascendant cyclists. As lieutenants and workhorses for Armstrong during his six straight Tour victories, these tenacious students learned the tactics, training, and focus it takes to win cycling's biggest competitions. Here's the lowdown
Aside from T-Mobile's Jan Ullrich and CSC's Ivan Basso, few of the riders on the 22 teams lining up for the Tour de France have a legitimate shot at winning the whole thing. But there is still the glory of stage wins and the races within the race—for the green sprinter's jersey and the polka-dot climber's jersey, among others. Whether shadowing Discovery o
Big Moments 1910 Killer Climb It wasn’t until the eighth Tour that race organizers experimented with the first big mountain stages, in the Pyrenees. The 7,000-foot climb up the now legendary Col du Tourmalet took riders along goat tracks barely passable by car. When Octave Lapize, who was…
Is there a "next Lance" in the American ranks? Meet Craig Lewis, a 20-year-old who still has a long way to go but is already turning heads with his physiological gifts and grit.
AS LANCE’S FIVE-HOUR training ride stretches into six and a half, I start getting itchy. I’ve been following in a car, handing up food, drinks, and clothes; it’s for a good cause, but I want to get some exercise, too. It’s nearing sunset as we finish, and I have 45…
Why are all biking tights and shorts black? I'm not in mourning! Where can I get more colorful red or blue ones? Rob Fairbanks, Alaska
Dr. Bob Breedlove, 53, one of the country's top endurance cyclists and one of the sport's most beloved figures, died on June 23 while competing in the RAAM transcontinental bike race. Frequent Outside contributor Stuart Stevens trained and raced with Breedlove on several occasions and spoke with him just hours before his death.
What's the best way to train for getting in and out of clipless bike pedals? New to the road bike, I'm also living in a chaotic city and terrified of falls. Thanks a million!
Name: NIKI GUDEX Niki Gudex Home: SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA Gig: MOUNTAIN-BIKE RACING Height: 5’4″ Age: 26 Gudex is the grit girl of Australian mountain biking. Since joining the national series, in 2000, she’s finished every season but one ranked first or second in downhill. Last year she…
Victor Hugo Peña grinds for U.S. Postal and Lance, but make no mistake: Ultimately he pedals for the pride of his country, the violent and tumultuous Andean nation of Colombia Victor Hugo Peña Update
Once and for all, why do pro cyclists shave their legs? 2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage2004 Tour de France Backstage Despite what your silky-smooth cycling…
Hideous crashes? Shattered bones? Tyler Hamilton smiles through it all—which is just what he needs to beat you-know-who.
A guy named Lance has a date with history at the 91st Tour. Will Armstrong win his sixth in a row and triumph as the greatest cyclist of all time? Dive into our jam-packed Tour guide and find out why the Texan has no doubt. Then share the pain with…
Don't know a peloton from an echelon? Relax-the Tour is complicated. Here's a fast and light summary of how cycling's greatest race is run.
Holy bitumen! It's Phil and Paul, the excitable Brits who give le Tour its champagne gush.
Eddy Merckx (Belgium) Tour de France 2004 CLICK HERE for Outside’s Guide to the 2004 Tour de France, follow the race July 3-25 with our SPECIAL ONLINE COVERAGE.Tour de France Eddy Merckx Age: 59 Tour Wins: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974 Wore Yellow: 96 days…
Lance's 2003 Tour victory was almost a loss–in his own words, he "dodged a bullet." This year the Tourminator is plenty fit, a little less furious, and hungrier than ever. A revealing interview with the greatest rider on earth.
With Lance Armstrong shooting for a history-making sixth Tour de France victory, scores of off-and-on Tour watchers will find themselves glued to the 91st running of cycling’s gnarliest race. But it’s not always easy—even for gung-ho weekend roadies—to tell what’s going on. The bluffing stops here, with Outside‘s [guide] to…
Outside magazine, October 1995 Leeward Islands By Matthew Joyce, Tom Morrisey The islands of the Lesser Antilles' northern chain may share a location sheltered from prevailing northeasterlies, but that's about all they have in common. Name your sport, then pick your island.
Don't let Lance hog the fun. Here's how to ride your own epic stage of the world's greatest cycling race.
The growing pains of a man-child and world champion
The hottest transgender talent in professional sports is making the competition see pink
Welcome to Ghana, where commuting is a nightmare—and optimism is a bright-yellow bike of one's own
When Outside editor-at-large Hampton Sides interviewed Lance Armstrong for the July 2004 issue, the five-time Tour champion was being kneaded—buck naked—on a massage table in the Hollywood home of his rock-star girlfriend, Sheryl Crow. Here, read the complete, unabridged transcript of their discussion. OUTSIDE: Did you ever imagine that…
The Tour's new scandal: Elite cyclists are mysteriously dropping dead
Lance Armstrong in Girona, Spain “I don’t like to lose. I just despise it.” Armstrong in Girona, Spain, his spring training grounds for the 2003 Tour de France. Armstrong on a road ride in Spain, March 2003 SATURDAY AFTERNOON IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, the warm air pungent with pollen,…
In 24-hour mountain-bike races, riders bond over singletrack and sleep deprivation. What's not to like?