![]() You can find out more about Chad and his love for vintage bikes by following his stories on Instagram at chrome.alone. The adventures we get up to on bicycles, and the joys they bring us, no matter their age, price, or type. How I love this luscious and colourful loop if you find yourself in the area, it’s a combination of Hebras de Ixtepeji and the Micro Vuelta de la Sierra Norte.Ĭhad’s MTB of UEO survived unscathed, dollar fifty V-brakes and all, which just goes to show how miraculous and wonderful bicycles are, whether they’re new and dreamy titanium or vintage steel that may well be 30 years old. We even stopped to forage for freshly sprouted Amenita caesareas, now that the seasonal rains are here. This time we mixed it up, ascending into the forested heavens via the Reserva Ecológica La Mesita, sussing out a new and unforgivably steep little connector (after hiking to the mirador at Cerro Peña de San Felipe, perched up at 3,100m), riding primo Ixtepji trails through a tapestry of ferns and wildflowers, feasting on enfrijoladas downed with hot chocolate in the Centro Ecoturístico in Ixtepeji, camping up at a windy and cloudswept Pelado Chicito lookout, and then barrelling down dirt roads all the way to Huayapam for celabratory ice cream. I’d be proud to dangle that smiling/hissing cat mug too. Old-fashioned punctures, on the other hand, can be frustrating at times but are rarely more than an exercise in patience and process, which happens to pair well with convivial conversation. That is, until they’re not, when they’re suddenly far more concerning, often inciting frantic bicep workouts with impractical bicycle pumps, or a catherine wheel of sealant streaming into the air, or a third tyre plug desperately jammed into a hole. ![]() Once you’ve gone tubeless, punctures are invariably an inconvenience of the past. Still, time enough to find a primo spot and enjoy the glorious views over grassy marshlands towards the archeological zone, ringed by cacti-speckled caves and enclosed by the Sierra Norte and its inky clouds beyond.Īnd about those dastardly goatheads. On this occasion though, a spate of punctures meant it was sunset before we made it to the camping zone in Yagul, up on the lip of the mesa top. Like all his bikes, it’s set up with tubes and trust. Who knows what stories that steel frame could tell… Then a rough and stony dirt track flanks the mountains, crossing into Tomaltepec’s community land.Ĭhad and his Mercurio Hotwheels, for want of a better name. It also passes by a number of friendly hamlets where waves and fresh fruit are guaranteed. It’s one of my favourite escapes, in part because the city exit is relatively mellow (bar the road block of unruly street dogs through which Huesos must negotiate safe passage). So without further ado, let’s meet three bikes from Chad’s Oaxaca Collection: 90s Haro with Elevated ChainstaysĬhad chose his late 90s Haro for a half-day bimble to Presa La Mina, a body of water that lies at the foot of the Sierra Norte, just being the town of Tlalixtac, known for a plaza surrounded by ornamental hedges pruned into the shape of animals (including elephants). Because these aren’t bikes that collectors will haggle over and covet. Do we have a duty of sorts to keep these cycling heirlooms roadworthy? Their value could be infinite within a couple more decades, because by then (excuse my pessimism) we might all be in need of easy-to-fix transportation like never before.Īnd, as I watch Chad’s bikes bounce merrily along old drovers tracks, or be piloted down rocky descents with cerebral precision and a smile, or provide the perfect excuse we need to stop and picnic over punctures, or divert us towards a bike shop to tighten a headset and linger and chat, maybe there’s no finer way to celebrate the art of two-wheeled exploration than touring on an old and well-loved ATB. In fact, seeing how relevant these decades-old mechanical marvels continue to be is a useful reminder: bikes are more than the sum of their parts, even if those components are the very simplest ones. Huesos always loves helping out when there’s a mechanical.
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