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With its trademark rhyming subject lines, Twotone's reader-supported newsletter has been a valuable gateway to the most interesting aspects of the bike world, a source for new & compelling ideas, and a trusted community resource for more than 1,200 readers worldwide since 2015. Thank you for being part of it!

With only 2 weeks until the inaugural Taurus Mountain Race, I'm double-checking pack lists, we're finishing up the Amateur Hour custom bags and, lol, finishing the build of my SOUR Pasta Party this week at Wheelrunner.

It certainly wasn't my ideal timeline to be putting everything together last minute, but that's been the theme this year, and these upcoming 1,460km and 36,346m of climbing will also be a paradoxically cathartic escape from all the regular stress that led to such last-minute prep to begin with. Digital detox by carrying your bike up rocks!

Way back in 2018, before the 1st Silk Road Mountain Race, none of us knew what we were doing, and most of us brought drop-bar bikes and tyres smaller than 50c.

What a difference 8 years has made! I plan to share photos of this custom hard-tail build later this week and will do a proper shakedown ride at Pathfinder Giro this weekend. I hope to also ride it to (and maybe also back from) 2moso's Bikes & Business Social Club next week, too.

Just like in races, things rarely go smooth and I've got 2 more weeks to get into the groove. If there is anything that participating in ultradistance bikepacking events has taught me, at the end of the day, you've gotta rock your own way!

Thank you for reading & wishing you a great week ahead,

Jon

p.s.
🎵 Some tracks on deck over the past few weeks: Cold Gawd's new EP, old Death Cab For Cutie (Something About Airplanes, We Have the Facts and We're Voting Yes & The Photo Album), and CAKE, Fashion Nugget (seeing them tomorrow night! And ironically, Death Cab is playing Utrecht tomorrow too!)

p.p.s.
This week's subject line was inspired by this Steröid bumper sticker.

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Upcoming Events

October

🇫🇷 3-4 Cezanne Cyclo
🇳🇱 4 Pathfinder Giro Eindhoven
🇳🇱 5 Bikes & Business Social Club
🇳🇱 11 Fearless 5k
🇳🇱 12-13 International Cargo Bike Festival
🇹🇷 14-24 Taurus Mountain Race
🇳🇱 18 AMS Cross Comp | Big Spotter's Hill
🇳🇱 25 AMS Cross Comp | HSC DE BATAAF
🇯🇵 23-25 Bespoked Osaka

November

🇳🇱 1 AMS Cross Comp | UWTC – UITHOORN
🇳🇱 3-5 ISPO
🇳🇱 8 AMS Cross Comp | HSV DE KAMPIOEN
🇬🇧 12-14 Rouleur London
🇳🇱 14 Lowlands Fixed Gear 2 Year Bday
🇳🇱 15 AMS Cross Comp | WV DE AMSTEL
🇳🇱 22 AMS Cross Comp | FC TRAPPIST – ‘T TWISKE

December

🇳🇱 4 Twotone Turns 12! Live Music, Great Food, Refreshing Drinks, & Permanent Tattoos!
🇳🇱 5 Cyclezirkus & Twotone Hangover Ride
🇳🇱 6 AMS Cross Comp | ASC Olympia Sloten
🇳🇱 13 AMS Cross Comp | ARC Ulysses
🇳🇱 19 AMS Cross Comp | Avondcross ZWC DTS
🇳🇱 31 AMS Cross Comp | Oliebollencross

📻

The Mechanics of Joy returns October 8th at 2pm CET!

📻 Support Echobox Radio

Ideas

I'm honoured to have been asked to speak at the 4th annual Bikes and Business Social Club. I'll be on a panel about community in cycling and look forward to seeing everyone there! : )

JobRad Loop looks to establish itself in the Dutch market

Twotone colleague, Jonathan Davis, travelled with several Dutch journalists to Leipzig to learn first-hand about how JobRad Loop is bringing its refurbished 2nd-hand bikes to the Netherlands. An English version of Ties' above article on NiewsFiets.nu is here.

The 13th Season of Amsterdamse Cross Competitie Is Coming!

One of my first introductions to the bike scene here in Holland was diving right into 'cross racing within a few weeks of making the move way back in 2013. The Amsterdamse Cross Competitie has become a beautiful tradition for so many cyclists around the city, and I'm stoked to get back into it in November, as I'm missing the first 2 races due to the Taurus Mountain Race.

Friends

Remembering Max Riese

Our mutual friend David Robinson messaged me while I was grocery shopping on the 16th. I immediately called him back. Literally floored, I sat on the floor of the supermarket, reeling from the news. Nearly two weeks on, I'm just as floored. I miss you, Max and I can't believe I won't see you at the start of Taurus in 2 weeks. Rest in Peace. I won't complete another long ride without thinking of you. 🖤 [below is the eulogy I shared on Gravgrav's public announcement]

"Oh, Max, you were the kindest, gentlest & most humble contender in our little international ultra race family.

You were always an inspiration for every single one of us. Your efforts for conservation with Gravgrav will always be remembered. You truly worked to make our world a better place.

I’ll never forget when you & Alex Bethge rode to Amsterdam and helped me ride a 7-person tandem 10km to our office. Absurd rides were always your jam, even that short ; )

Oh, Kleine Riese, you’ve left a very big hole and I’ll always remember you on every long ride; I’ll never be as fast but I can aspire to be as kind."

Pre-Order Issue Nº2 of Paperclip.cc Magazine

For 2026, you'll be shuffling through +184 pages, with stories from all over the world: "Oman Trail Builders and how they learned to work with the mountains to build the country's first MTB trails. You'll shuffle through film photos by the talented Sami Sauri and Aly Ramy, where Sami showcases a glimpse of Socotra, Yemen. While Aly shares a few photos from his months long bike tour across his home country Egypt. For the US story, Alden takes us on a trip across his home state of West Virginia, going Low to High. And from the far east, Haetam shares a few notes about cycling in Lombok, Indonesia." Pre-Order here.

Congrats, Tom Onda Consulting & Their Client Tailfin on the Sale to MVC Group

My friend Thomas Hausmann advised Tailfin on its sale to MVC Group, *"bringing together two parties who genuinely share a passion for cycling and building great brands & products."* Congratulations to Thomas, Tailfin, the team at MVC and everyone involved. : )

Radness

Velo Mario Visit & Touring With Olivier of VojoMag

Right after Bespoked and before I made it down to Milano, I had Mario & Charlie of Velo Mario in town to visit and then spent three days riding 300km across three countries: Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands with Olivier of Vojo Mag on our Moustache Dimanche 29 Gravels. Lookout for the story soon!

Thank you for reading!
Here's rocking your own way this week!

Hire Twotone

( ◡̀_◡́)ᕤ Nº393 Every Single Day, You Gotta Rock Your Own Way 🤘🫵

Bikes

Bespoked Dresden 2026

Moustache Lundi 27 Launch & OMNIUM x Carhartt Collab

Taurus Mountain Race 2026: No one knows quite what’s coming