What up fellow Riders! Spencer here, the newest contributor to Wheel Talk. I wanted to introduce myself, go over my love(s) for riding, and provide a scoop on what you can expect to see from me in what’s shaping up to be frickin’ awesome year for bike riding. So let’s get into it.
I’ve been riding bikes for well over 12 years now, with the past 9 years residing in San Francisco, California. I was fully convinced I’d be able to push my limits and grow as a rider after diving straight into a truly fast paced topographically-rich city. And… I was right.
My first bike love was (and remains in many ways) forged on the urban track bike. I specifically say ‘urban track’ because I am not a velodrome track racer or possess (much of any) traditional track hardware on my current fixed rig. I always found myself firmly split between doing tricks and charging down hills, slashing thru car traffic to be my own personal bread n’ butter.
However, delving pretty hard into road biking many years ago opened up my entire world of possibilities once I discovered how radical gravel & trail riding, bike camping, and single track were. Serendipitously, after getting hit by a car one day in the city which effectively destroyed my Felt F75 road bike, I put the insurance claim money towards buying my very first CX bike and honestly haven’t looked back ever since.
Today you’ll find me riding trails every single week. There’s just so much damn good quality out here in the Bay Area: Local stuff in Golden Gate Park (GGP), the Sutro forest & Laguna Honda, across the Golden Gate bridge in the literal treasure trove of Marin County, the East Bay’s vast network of mountain parks, directly south of SF in Pacifica, the peninsula and.. last but definitely not least Santa Cruz.
My stoke for dirt is real and I am beyond excited to capture photos & videos, produce some exciting new edits and share everything with you to hopefully inspire your own off-road adventures. Like I said earlier, this is the continuation as well as the start of something great- so come along for the ride.
We’ll see you out there.
You can see more of what I’m up to on a regular basis by checking out my Instagram (@side_sipper) and Youtube channel.
