I'm sending this issue from the small Spanish coastal town of Calabardina. It's my 4th time visiting for a week of gravel riding, sublime food, and special memories with friends from all over Europe.
For several years, Felix Krakow has organized a bit of an industry gravel dad getaway here at his family's holiday home. GRAVELBIKE Magazine's sprinter van, stacked with test bikes, is driven down from Stuttgart, and we spend each day on a different bike, helping Felix aggregate an impression of each frame, wheels, tires, group, and other aspects of the stick build that stand out.
Today we'll ride a local loop, and tomorrow we depart on a multi-day tour to test bikepacking bags and other accessories, returning on Thursday. I'll mostly share peeks on my personal insta and on Twotone's.
To me, this annual tradition is the ultimate distillation of why working in the cycling industry is so special. Our shared passion for riding brought an eclectic, international crew together from various corners of the bike business, from working for brands to writing for publications, to being independent framebuilders, shop & agency owners, to freelance photographers and event organizers.
It's a potent mix of nerdy banter on long rides, gossip about developments & trends, but mostly enjoying our time together in this beautiful corner of the world on some of the most sublime gravel that exists. I'm very grateful to be here! Thank you, Felix, for organizing! ❤️
Wishing you all a nice week ahead as well!
Thank you for reading,
Jon
Twotone is celebrating 11 Years and we've updated our annual offer: Every paid subscriber makes a big difference! Thank you! 😊
February
- 🇳🇱 7 Minnesota Fundraiser Charity Ride from Gregario
- 🇳🇱 8-9 Nieuwsfiets' B2B Festival
- 🇳🇱 11-12 Shift Cycling Culture Barcamp
- 🇳🇱 12 Gregario Movie Nite: Quicksilver!
- 🇳🇱 26 The Mechanics of Joy Live Radio Show
- 🇳🇱 27 Dox Under The Tracks Nº14 (Artists TBA)
March
- 🇳🇱 14 12hr Alleycat (Twotone HQ is the karaoke checkpoint!)
- 🇩🇪 20-22 Cyclingworld Düsseldorf
Bikes
Silca Enters MTB Racing With Orbea Fox Factory Team Partnership
Hospitality and Hairpins on the Road to Tajikistan
Ryan Wilson
I love seeing Ryan's posts & stories from his journey. Read more & admire his photography here.
A Fixed Gear Titanium Omnium Mini-Max on a 350km Tour
Ideas
Population Projections Until The End of The Century
How “95%” escaped into the world – and why so many believed it
The biggest 'no': Shimano not exhibiting at Eurobike 2026
Jan-Willem van Schaik
We're still planning on hosting our ever-popular Twotone x Crank! Eurobike dinner this year despite all the doom & gloom! I'm over all the Eurobike abuse. So much haterade & hollow LinkedIn shitposting that only deflates our industry and contributes nothing. It doesn't make you a Thought Leader to throw proverbial stones from your office at home. Post about organizing a grassroots contribution to an existing tradeshow, or giving people another place to go. It's up to us to help make these shows worthwhile or not after all!
Friends
To Hell & Back '26 | 666km: Amsterdam to Roubaix & back
Bike Haus Features on Local TV!
My homie Jorge got a recent local feature about his shop, Bike Haus!
Mariah's Minneapolis Fundraiser & Charity Ride on 7 Feb
Radness
Save 15% on Sneak Peaks, Gravity Festival an/or Trippy Trail
Save 15% on Sneak Peaks, Gravity Festival and/or Trippy Trail with 'twotone15'! SNEAK PEAKS > Registration closes: August 5th, GRAVITY FESTIVAL > Registration closes: May 22nd & TRIPPY TRAIL > Registration closes: August 19th. All tickets are 100 % refundable for all cancellations until 8 days before the event.
Thank you for reading!
Here's to starting and keeping an annual tradition this week!