<\/p>\n

Not long ago I published a piece about Austin, Texas,<\/a> where I shared a favorite spot of mind which I stopped in — well, three times — over the length of my weekend trip. Mellow Johnny\u2019s \u00a0Bike Shop<\/a> is perhaps more known for its famous owner, Lance Armstrong, than for its spandex or coffee. Yes, coffee . . . at a bike shop.<\/p>\n

Juan Pelota is the in-house coffee shop. It\u2019s just one example of a growing trend among the cycling culture. Of those three visits, two of them involved stops for a cup of java, where I enjoyed the morning paper an outside table typically next to a few sweaty, lycra-clad cyclists just done with their morning ride.<\/p>\n

\u201cGood ride today?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBeautiful, beautiful morning,\u201d the cyclists said bringing the cup to his mouth; a scone on the table in front of him.<\/p>\n

Scenes like this invariably draw some kind of connection between cycling and cafes. In Austin, the sun was creeping between the downtown buildings, near-by construction workers were just arriving to work, and there was a steady stream of bike commuters, hard-core cyclists, and even non-cyclists through the cafe.<\/p>\n

Turns out, this whole biking\/coffee combination trend is catching on,\u00a0as this recent MSNBC article pointed out:<\/a><\/p>\n

Most bike caf\u00e9s sell, repair or rent bicycles; others only have bike pumps or simply reflect a bike-themed ambience. Some are high-end, or quaint with funky, mismatched furniture. Some hang works from local artists, are known for their microbrews, and for their selection of take-as-you-wish old paperbacks. Many, predictably, sell state-of-the-art biking gear and designer biking clothing. All, it seems, serve excellent coffee.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, are these cafes the bicyclist version of a Harley Davidson dive-bar? Probably not. America may be taking a page from Europe\u2019s strong bike and caf\u00e9 culture. Perhaps cyclists just need a welcoming place to gather for pre-ride caffeine jolts or post-ride hangouts.<\/p>\n

Either way, cafes like Uphill Grind Bicycle and Coffee<\/a> in Madison, Wisconsin, Pedal-A-Latte Cafe in Seattle, or Look Mum No Hands<\/a> in London are likely coming to a neighborhood near you.<\/p>\n

And yes, it really was a \u201cbeautiful, beautiful morning\u201d on many levels.<\/p>\n

[Orbea shop has coffee by richardmasoner\/Flickr<\/a><\/em>]
\nBy Jon Wick<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n

Jon lives in Butte, Montana, spending most of his time on skis or bikes; sometimes both. He began travel writing while teaching in Korea and is currently pursuing his Master\u2019s Degree in Technical Communication at Montana Tech. Jon has begun writing his first book, <\/em>The Story of Will, whose movie rights are still (very) available. Catch more of Jon at TheJonWickproject.wordpress.com<\/a>. (@ExpedJon<\/a>)<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Not long ago I published a piece about Austin, Texas, where I shared a favorite spot of mind which I stopped in — well, three times — over the length of my weekend trip. Mellow Johnny\u2019s \u00a0Bike Shop is perhaps more known for its famous owner, Lance Armstrong, than for its spandex or coffee. Yes, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":10448,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1,2583],"tags":[1730,2144,2145,2143,1414,2147,2148,2146],"yoast_head":"\n