Last Sunday we had a video podcast with Ryan Duzer from Ryan Duzer TV and Micheal from LockedIn.
It was a very nervous first podcast for me as I am not used the camera and not used to talking in that manner but I also wanted to be there for Kai as he wasn't nervous but we wanted to show the two faces that run KaiVenture Bags!
I have a lot of projects in mind for upcoming podcasts such as the one we had with Ryan Duzer and Michael.
In that podcast, we talked about bike parts and bikes we own and bikes we have but my favorite topic we discussed about was what riding a bike really brings to our lives and why most of us find it so addicting and tend to get obsessive with riding a bicycle. And obsessive with bike parts and bike builds.
Ryan is a pioneer to creating bike riding videos and exposing the fun one can have being by yourself, having friends with you, or to even take a dog with you on bike packing trips and riding your bike around the world, riding around town or to wonderful destinations to sit under the stars and take in the beauty of the world.
What Ryan shows in his videos is that even in tough times and your trip isn't going as planned, it's great to always know that life is beautiful while you're riding a bike and just being alive. And appreciate every little thing life brings you.
That's what bike riding brings to our lives. It brings a different and a more open minded expression to the beauty of nature, people, and happiness.
Go ahead, ask any person on a bicycle if they're not happy riding a bike. You would be quite surprised with the numbers leading towards more happy people as a result of riding a bicycle.
And that's why we, KaiVenture Bags, love Ryan's videos. Anyone spreading the good word about the benefits of riding a bicycle automatically makes us a fan.
Kai has been riding a bike since he was a child and transitioning to BMX, MTB, Road, and now Gravel before it become a thing.
I road a bike when I was a child where the craziest thing I had ever done was putting a crushed soda can on my tire and riding around in the backyard pretending it was a motorcycle...then I met Kai and we have travelled by bicycle from Portland, OR to Santa Monica, CA.
I would say that's where my spiritual awakening to the benefits of riding a bike really imposed into my life.
It was a difficult trip. It was my first time bike packing, camping, and all sorts of cherries popping on this trip (NO PUN INTENDED).
I took to Facebook after coming back home and adjusting to regular life again to let other women in a female cycling group know of my new revelations of life due to my journey:
"Hi ladies!
I just went bikepacking for the first time and I wanted to share my experience as a novice cyclist.
It was tough, ladies. I'm not going to lie. There were days I didn't want to ride and times where I thought about just staying in whatever city I was at and start a new life. But I pressed on and I did it! And if I can do it, I think anyone can, haha.
It was such a life changing experience, honestly. You can see a city in a car, but you can feel a city on a bike. And I mean you'll feel the city on a bike. Every hill, every vibration from a car. You feel the cold morning air as it transitions to the hot dry afternoon. You're constantly interacting with the locals and I don't mean verbally or in a conversational sense, but you communicate with body language, hand gestures (no, not the bird), and with greetings. It will force you outside of your comfort zone. And it might break you, but breakdowns are healthy as it will help you grow. You will start to see the world from a different perspective and everything in it, including the bad things. BUT bikepacking teaches you to enjoy every moment and every little thing no matter how small. Such as a fire my husband and I started from left over wood in the firepit that completed our awesome sunset view of the lake, for instance, will forever be one of my most favorited moments I will forever remember. You will probably want to even start collecting a souvenir pin so it allows you to keep a symbolic reference to that trip and moment forever, I reccomend it. I definitely feel more empowered now, haha. Anyways, thanks for reading and here are some stats and some pictures of my trip from Portland, OR to Los Angeles, CA. There are more pictures and videos on KaiVenture Bags if your interested on viewing my tour.
I reccomend everyone to do a trip! It's like going camping but on bikes!"
And this is what mostly all bike related magazines, talk shows, Youtube Channels instill about bike riding and promoting the industry as more as a sport or exercise. It's also a lifestyle.
But other topics of our podcast was the discussions of what our favorite bikes are and I mainly ride a steel bike as my tour bike, gravel bike, adventure bike, and road bike. One bike that fits many shoes and my bike is by the legendary Joe Breeze, The Breezer Doppler.
I also have a Trek FX3 as my commuter around town, to my job, groceries. And a Breezer Lightening as my hardtail mountain bike.
Kai had a Breezer Doppler that he took on tour and recently sold it to one of our supporters. He also has a Breezer Lightening hardtail MTB, a Specailized Sequoia Adventure bike that he repainted, and a Giant Yukon as his commuter. What was not said on the podcast was that Kai is looking to build up his new road bike.
Many people might be asking us why we have so many bikes...
The reason we have so many bikes is mainly following the formula N+1.
Where you can never have too many bikes as they all serve a purpose.
Kai had already started his cycling lifestyle before meeting me. I slowly transitioned into it and I want to express my journey so that it may inspire you to ride a bike to the grocery store or to the post office or just around your neighborhood.
Bike riding is great for your health and great for a lot of things such as the environment. I found a very interesting blog post regarding some health benefits and information of bike riding titled, "
Bikes The Cure-All."
In the closing of the podcast, I surprised Ryan and Micheal with patches I created for them and updated certain supporters and followers about a project releasing soon on our website to add more customizations for their bags!
Thank you for reading and checking in! We appreciate all the support to continue what we love to do. Stay safe and Happy Riding!
