Pacific Northwest summers are perfect for adventuring. Last weekend I took a few friends up to the San Juan Islands to do some light touring and bike camping. We spent four days hopping ferries, riding the roads, and camping with waterfront views. I was on my Surly Cross Check while my friend Lisa pedaled the distance on her Long Haul Trucker. The Cross Check is the perfect do-it-all bicycle. Not only do I take her for long day rides, but I can strip her down and put knobby tires on to ride cyclocross. I also rode her to San Francisco this June for a thousand mile tour. If you are searching for a bike you can commute on and more, think Cross Check. Surly specializes in classic, steel frame, utility bikes. And if you want to take a trip to the San Juan Islands, there’s no better book to guide you than Bicycling the Pacific Coast, which, as you know if you read the last blog post, we also have in stock.
First day of cycling on Lopez Island. We ditched the gear at camp and set out for a day of flat riding, a nice reprieve from the steep, dirty hills of Orcas.
Bike camping on Orcas Island, featuring my black cross check with a Brooks B-17 honey-colored saddle, 21st ave water bottles, and Ortlieb back rollers classics. We got it all in store, and we’d love to set you up. Also, think about Poler’s Magic Tarpit as a lovely camping accouterment. For a rack, I recommend PDW’s aesthetically sophisticated Payload with it’s double-ply bamboo deck and steel tubing. It’ll have you carrying cargo in no time.