by Larry Lagarde

Earlier today, a RideTHISbike.com reader asked what led to my trip to Taiwan. It's a rather interesting twist of events so I thought I'd post the story here.

For several years, Mark Sanders and I have been corresponding with one another (I finally met him at InterBike 2008). At some point, Mark had mentioned to me that Pacific Cycles had a private museum of bikes spanning 3 floors and that I must see it one day.

Fast forward to Interbike 2009.

Areaware sent me a new Birdy bike to evaluate, with the provision I get it back to them for display at the InterBike '09 convention. I rode the Birdy pretty hard at the Outdoor Demo (it was totally covered in dust) but I got it back to them the afternoon before the floor show.

When I arrived at Areaware's booth, Michael Lin of Pacific Cycles was there. Since Pacific Cycles makes the Birdy, IF Mode, IF Reach, CarryMe and other folding bikes, we talked quite a bit and ended up going to dinner. Before leaving Vegas, Michael invited me to visit the Pacific Cycles factory when I could.

Fast forward again to December 2009.

I had been testing a prototype IF Reach DC since the summer and sent an update to George Lin (owner of Pacific Cycles). George is intimately involved with Pacific's R&D, spending half of each work day in the R&D shop working on future products. So whether it was my feedback, enthusiasm or both, I don't know but George personally invited me to tour their facilities as well as stay free of charge at the dorm Pacific offers to reps of the 40+ bike brands they produce bikes for (such as the new Dreamslide from France).

How could I resist?

I knew this could be a once in a lifetime opportunity so I scheduled my departure for the soonest I could leave (January 13th). Since George had offered me bikes to ride and the weather in Taiwan is dicey that time of year, I gave myself about a week so I'd have at least one good day of riding. As it turned out, the weather was unusually mild and dry my entire stay (though extremely windy at times).

I'm still processing everything I experienced in Taiwan. Meeting and interacting with George Lin (a legend in the industry and a very humble, intelligent and pleasant individual in person), seeing future bikes in R&D as well as production of current bikes like the Birdy and CarryMe, bicycle rides with Michael Lin (George's son), pretty much having full and unrestricted access to the factory, being allowed to ride a variety of production and prototype bikes, browsing George's extensive library, discussing product development with designers like Ryan Carroll, examining Pacific's collection of bicycles (aka the bike museum) including many prototypes and simply being immersed in Asian culture for the first time - all these were just mind boggling.

Having said all the above, there is one more aspect to the back story of my Taiwan trip - Hurricane Katrina. Although Katrina has faded into the subconscious of America, I have been living through the effects of this storm for almost 5 years. With my wife pregnant, our home (and city) devastasted and most of my web design customers either on life support or gone, I found myself at a cross-roads.

It wasn't simply a matter of whether to rebuild in New Orleans or permanently move elsewhere. Like survivors of many other disasters, I wondered why my life had been spared when others I know had died or lost everything. This question left me with the feeling that I was being given a second chance - an opportunity to do more than to simply support my family.

I dove into RideTHISbike.com with the mission of sharing the simple pleasures of bicycling with as many people as possible. From the beginning, I have focused on folding bicycles because they are the most versatile and practical of all bikes, which makes folders the best choice as a true transportation alternative.

So to fully put the back story of my Taiwan trip in context, just as it has led to many other wonderful experiences, it was my response to Hurricane Katrina that ultimately led to this trip. No doubt, as I continue to share and advocate for the joys of bicycling, there will be more extraordinary moments and experiences to look forward to.

As time allows, I will be sharing more videos and info from my trip to Taiwan for your enjoyment. Thanks for visiting RideTHISbike.com and come back again soon.