So cool, I want a Platy too! Bike camping is the best. You can see things at a slow pace, but you avoid carrying everything on your back. But I do that too. Congrats on your annual mileage Leah.
Mike SLO CA On Friday, October 31, 2025 at 6:12:33 PM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote: > Ben, I love having Stephanie on my RivSister chat! Is her drop-bar > periwinkle Platy working out??? She can take up bike camping and be a dirt > bag like meeee! > > Julian, I owe you a lot of gratitude and credit for the bike camping part > of my year. The reason my kid wanting to go is because he met you and Pam > at Philly Bike Expo and discovered that bike camping is A Real Thing. And > then you got him started with a tent and other great camping essentials and > that was truly our catalyst, and we will never forget it. I spent a mint > getting all the stuff, but I didn’t have to ALSO spend a mint getting him > his stuff! He went on to take your things all over the US on a weeks-long > backpacking trip. And he’s taking them on more trips with his university > backpacking club. They are getting use! > > I’m also tickled that you figured out how to watch that video on the > dreaded Instagram/desktop setup. I don’t take that compliment lightly! If > there was any other way to send it I would have, but that video is huge and > this was my only solution. > > I really learned a lot from you all on the List this summer. I went on my > trips and I DID NOT LACK ONE THING because you had already told me what I’d > need. And I had it. All of it. And I did not bring too much stuff, either. > It was perfect. > > One thing I will put a plug in for here is Modl Infinity Tools. They are > straps you use to lash things and they are 1000x better than the John’s > Irish straps (disloyal!) and better than Voile. Voile still have their > place for super heavy-duty use (like strapping down my rear wheel on my > vehicle bike rack) but for everything else, use an Infinity Tool. I am now > using them in place of basket nets on my bikes, too. > > [image: image0.jpeg] > > > On Oct 31, 2025, at 7:30 PM, Julian Westerhout <[email protected]> wrote: > > Leah, this is a great video! I generally dislike instagram because I > could not for the life of me figure out how to control video (sound, size) > on my desktop, but found a Chrome extension that allows it -- and installed > it just to watch this video. Well done Leah! Nice recap of your > year-to-date. Really glad you like bike camping. My wife and I hit 4000 > miles on our tandems for the year today (2nd year for that distance) -- I > have ~ 1500 more on my single bikes -- and hopefully more miles to come > this year. Bikes have meant freedom to me since I was about 12, and the joy > you express in your videos and posts captures that really well for me. > Thanks for sharing your adventure! > > > Julian Westerhout > Bloomington, IL > > On Friday, October 31, 2025 at 6:01:52 PM UTC-5 Ben Miller wrote: > >> Leah, you're an absolute BEAST! >> >> Stephanie and I watched you're Insta video together last night and got a >> kick out of it! >> >> On Friday, October 31, 2025 at 9:00:33 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! >> wrote: >> >>> I am close to riding 12,000 miles in my nearly 4 years in Michigan. >>> Since winter knocks out no small amount of time I can ride, I’m really >>> thrilled to have gotten to that number. >>> >>> ‘25 was my best year, though, because not only did I hit 4,000 miles >>> (and counting) but I also had so many new experiences. I learned the >>> wonders of bike touring and bike camping. I got my first road bike (it’s >>> Charlie; he’s a real road bike, don’t you say otherwise). When I looked >>> back at my year, I could not believe how many trips I got to take - >>> starting in JANUARY! I rode in several states. Brought my Platy on Amtrak. >>> Tossed my Platy on a ferry. Hugged the necks of RivSisters I’d only ever >>> spoken to online. Met new friends. Made precious memories with my son. >>> >>> What was the best trip Leah took, you might wonder. >>> >>> The one where my college boy and I rode the top of the Mitten (that’s >>> Michigan’s lower peninsula for you out-of-staters). We couldn’t have asked >>> for better scenery and we were mostly on bike trails. (Our first camping >>> trip took us on highways and we were white-knuckling it all the way to >>> Niagara Falls.) I rode along Lake Michigan’s teal waters and white sand >>> beaches with my angel son astride his college Clem beside me and wondered >>> how I got this beautiful life. When we ran out of things to talk about, we >>> rolled along, each with an audiobook playing in our ears, in companionable >>> silence. We met new friends in Traverse city (hi John and Tracy!) and had >>> the time of our lives! >>> >>> The people made all the difference. People are so important. The ones >>> you meet on the road and in little coffee shops, the ones you ride with, >>> the friends you meet just because you all love bikes…people enrich a bike >>> trip. >>> >>> The bikes also make the experience. My bikes are utterly capable and >>> comfortable. What can I not do on a Rivendell? I love how they ride, how >>> they look, the sounds they make as they roll over dirt and pavement. I’ll >>> never get enough of this. >>> >>> I made an Instagram video for my year in review, and if you’re curious, >>> you’ll find the details here: >>> https://www.instagram.com/reel/DQeZ1ATkVIi/?igsh=MTN3eHU1YzZnd2kxZA== >>> >>> Thanks for reading, and for all the knowledge you shared to get me out >>> there doing the new things this year! I had a ball. >>> Leah >>> >>> -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the > Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this topic, visit > https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/ooTOGINzu9A/unsubscribe > . > To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to > [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/793fce78-a567-4698-9df3-6f08df555eabn%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/793fce78-a567-4698-9df3-6f08df555eabn%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. 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