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On Buying New Gear
The story of Thomas Stevens biking across the United States
Sam Westby
November 28, 2025
Welcome to the Bike Bulletin. It like your favorite post-ride beer, poured straight into your inbox.
Written by Sam Westby @samcwestby
This is a weekly newsletter about bike trips, urban cycling, and a love for two-wheeled transit. The more time you spend on a bike, the better. I share new editions every Thursday (or Friday), gearing you up for the ride ahead.
On Buying New Gear
Here’s the story of Thomas Stevens, the first person to bike across the United States.
In 1884, cars didn’t exist. Gravel roads hadn’t been invented yet. Dirt paths connected some towns but not all. Good luck traveling if it was raining.
In Ohio, a bike salesman was scheming his next big publicity stunt. He already paid riders to set one-day distance records and organized “parades” of riders on market days. To top those, he came up with a wild idea: ride from San Francisco to Boston.
“If a man can ride this machine from ocean to ocean, surely you can ride it to work.”
On April 22nd 1884, he set off from San Francisco on his 48 pound (22 kg) penny farthing carrying small handlebar bag with spare socks, one extra shirt, a raincoat that doubled as tent and bedroll, and a tiny “bulldog” revolver for emergencies.
After just one week as he crossed the Sierra Nevadas, he realized that his “ride” was going to be a lot of walking. Donner Pass has horror stories for a reason.
He would often sleep in barns on the side of the road, or farmers would take him in for the night.
As he passed through small frontier towns, people thought he was a new circus act because they had never seen a bicycle.
Over 3,700 miles (6,000 km) and 103 days, he reached Boston.
His story is ironic. He crossed the U.S. to sell more bicycles, but this journey shows us that a 100 year old bicycle can do the job.
You don’t need the right gear to go on your next bike trip. If Thomas Stevens can do it on wooden wheels, you can do it on your 1994 Giant Cadex. Just make sure your tires hold air before shoving off.
Some of my favorite trips have been on scrappy budget setups. One trip was back in 2020 when 3 friends and I went bikepacking in Northern Minnesota.
My setup from a 2020 bikepacking trip in Northern Minnesota. I only had 2 flat tires, so I’d say she held up pretty good.
We were on loose, hilly, gravel roads, and I rode my dad’s 1980 Centurion with 32 mm slick tires. The chain skipped if I pushed too hard on the pedals. All I had for storage was a back rack and two panniers my dad sewed decades earlier. It was pretty easy to pop a wheelie.
By all accounts, I was on the wrong bike and had a tough setup. It didn’t matter. We had great campfires, took a cold plunge in Lake Superior, went to the highest point in Minnesota, and met some characters.
I just got back from a bikepacking trip with those same guys. We spent a few days in Guatemala ripping around on used bikes we found at a pawn shop. It felt like old times.
Would nicer gear make the riding easier? Yes
Does easier riding always mean more fun? No
Shop consciously.
A Note From Sam
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