Ben Popper
@gravelcruiser
Ben likes to think of himself as a sweet-bike guy, but in reality he says he is more a dedicated parent that schemes to be a radical cyclist. He can explain it best in his own words, "This means that when I do get out on the bike, when it isn't one of my commutes to pick up the kiddo from school on our tandem, I head out to ride some big, dumb idea I've come up with. It also means that I haven't forgotten the effect cycling had on my youth (and subsequent decades of bike fun times) and I work to instill the essence of freedom and adventure in cycling for our families rides. Whether it is to the grocery store or Wilderness Boundary cycling is fun everyday."
Local Ride
"My favorite place to ride in the city is the old interurban trail, a paved over trolley route that cuts through the arboretum and up through the neighborhood towards Lake Union. A little twisty, completely shaded and mostly car free."
"My favorite place to ride in the city is the old interurban trail, a paved over trolley route that cuts through the arboretum and up through the neighborhood towards Lake Union. A little twisty, completely shaded and mostly car free."
The Commute
"I work from home as a professional mouse manipulator for an automotive accessory company and thus my commute is the six trips to and from my semi-pro home espresso station each day. Alas, this does not mean I miss out on the joy of everyday cycling! Each day I have the pleasure of riding my favorite bike, our families CoMotion tandem, solo one way to our kiddos school and then with them on the way home. It is a few miles of solo pedaling where I get to decompress from my work day immediately followed by another couple miles of quality, no gizmo time, with my kid. We ride rain or shine and almost enjoy the rainy days where we get to smash though puddles on our way home."
"I work from home as a professional mouse manipulator for an automotive accessory company and thus my commute is the six trips to and from my semi-pro home espresso station each day. Alas, this does not mean I miss out on the joy of everyday cycling! Each day I have the pleasure of riding my favorite bike, our families CoMotion tandem, solo one way to our kiddos school and then with them on the way home. It is a few miles of solo pedaling where I get to decompress from my work day immediately followed by another couple miles of quality, no gizmo time, with my kid. We ride rain or shine and almost enjoy the rainy days where we get to smash though puddles on our way home."
Who do you ride with?
"If I am not on the tandem with my kiddo, I mostly ride solo. #dadlife. On the rare occasion I get out with a crew it is my Hodala compatriots to cause some sort of ruckus."
"If I am not on the tandem with my kiddo, I mostly ride solo. #dadlife. On the rare occasion I get out with a crew it is my Hodala compatriots to cause some sort of ruckus."
Best Place to Enjoy the View
"Riding around town with the kiddo necessitates snack stops or simply break time and it seems the best places to do it are where they can do something else. Stopping at playgrounds gets old as a parent pretty quickly, so we've found that with a little creativity, there can be even better places. The viewpoint above the I-90 tunnel portal is great, but if you go across the street there is a sweet grass hill for rolling down. We will also frequently follow the dirt paths though the park, and often there are secret hideouts to explore or berries to pick.
"Riding around town with the kiddo necessitates snack stops or simply break time and it seems the best places to do it are where they can do something else. Stopping at playgrounds gets old as a parent pretty quickly, so we've found that with a little creativity, there can be even better places. The viewpoint above the I-90 tunnel portal is great, but if you go across the street there is a sweet grass hill for rolling down. We will also frequently follow the dirt paths though the park, and often there are secret hideouts to explore or berries to pick.
Favorite restaurant?
Riding to fancy date night dinner at the Corson Building is always fun as well when sneaking out for a little adult time.
Photo: Courtesy of the Corson Building
Riding to fancy date night dinner at the Corson Building is always fun as well when sneaking out for a little adult time.
Photo: Courtesy of the Corson Building
Photos by Ben Popper unless otherwise noted.
Share:
GEAR FOR ALL KINDS
EVERYDAY CYCLING IN LA