What's it like to be a travel writer—not just a travel writer, but one who focuses on cycling? Alex Crevar is a New York Times contributor who specializes in stories about the Balkan region. His resume includes a variety of outlets, including Adventure Cycling, but when you can say you're an ongoing contributor to the New York Times, your resume need not be long, but part of what makes his story so interesting is the way he has used his expertise to improve the experience of the cyclo-tourist visiting the region.

The friendships we form on the bike can run deep. But why? Is it the shared sweating? Is it riding into a shared future? Is it just not looking each other in the eye? Lori and Patrick explore these questions.

This week is the second half of Lori and Patrick's two-parter on ebikes. This week they look at "out-of-class" ebikes and some of the problems they pose as well as California's response to them, in addition to a class-action lawsuit filed against ebike maker Super73.

While some of the country enjoys a final summer hurrah, the reality is, winter is around the corner. Changes in bike technologies (disc brakes, especially) and lubes have made planning for the winter necessary in a way it didn't necessarily used to be. Patrick and Lori discuss the steps that are helpful to take if you plan to ride through the winter.

Revel Bikes is one of those rare brands that enjoyed a acclaim within days of their launch, followed by such a meteoric rise that the only way founder Adam Miller could keep up with the company's growth was to sell a majority stake in the company to private equity. It didn't take long for things to sour, though and not long after Miller's departure, the owners filed bankruptcy. Miller saw an opportunity to buy the company back and after accomplishing what should have been a longshot, he began rebuilding the team that had established the brand as one not just to watch, but to own. Lori and Patrick talk with Miller about the bumpy ride Revel has experienced, what he's learned along the way, and what drew him to license the Canfield CBF suspension design.

This week Lori and Patrick welcome Katy Bryce, the CEO of the Robert Axle Project (a maker of thru-axles) and Old Man Mountain (a maker of touring and bikepacking racks and bags.

Patrick is sick, as in too sick to record a podcast and, apparently, given the number of times he has re-typed this sentence, too sick to spell. So we are re-running an old show. Sorry. Lori and Patrick will be back next week.

Conformity. How important is it to fit in? John wonders what we gain through conformity and whether the effort results in sufficient reward. Patrick takes a look at a looming issue in mountain bike advocacy.

The Fit Kit was the first truly systematic fitting system available to riders here in the U.S. Prior to that, bike fit was more alchemy than science. And while there will always be an element of art to it, John Higgins of Fit Kit Systems has evolved the brand and the mission to make bike fit something riders can improve at home. Once marketed strictly to bike shops, the Fit Kit is now primarily a consumer-facing business.