Riding with Dustin
Natsuko and I met Dustin at a café in the neighborhood. We talked about bikes and book projects. We had recently published The All-Road Bike Revolution, and Dustin was working on his first book, Blood and Lightning (link below), about becoming a tattoo artist. As we talked, he told us how the book was going to be an ethnographic memoir, and how it had come out of his Ph.D. work in applied sociology. We ran into each once in a while and talked about book writing, sociology and cycling. Dustin had moved here from the Bay Area and was looking for good places to ride.
As the summer wore on, he texted that he’d ridden 50 miles for the first time, and shared photos of his bike, a beautiful Black Mountain Cycles. He’d ridden around Mercer Island many times (a ride we had suggested), and he was looking to expand his horizons. It was natural to suggest Dustin and I go for a ride together.
And so we decided to meet at the same cafe where we first ran into each other, on a Saturday morning a few weeks ago. We were going to head around the North End of Lake Washington, a favorite ride that’s a little over 50 miles long.
Before we headed out, we enjoyed some pastries and conversation. Natsuko had joined us, and we talked about cyclotouring, art, and Dustin’s next book project. It’s probably still secret, so I won’t talk about it, except that it may involve bicycles.
The conversation continued as we headed out on our ride. (We could have spent all morning at the cafe!) We rolled along the Burke-Gilman Trail and talked about how bicycles and tattoos carry a lot of their creators in them. And how hard it can be to find a great one, especially since only the passage of time reveals whether the craftsmanship is more than skin-deep. The parallels between bicycles and tattoos are quite fascinating, especially with respect to the craftspeople who create them. Dustin apprenticed to become a tattoo artist, while I spent much time in the workshops of framebuilders and absorbed what they taught me. Discovering these similarities made for lively conversation.
We reached the northern edge of Lake Washington sooner than anticipated and turned off the trail. We climbed Juanita Hill and descended to Homes Point. I was a little apprehensive about introducing a cyclist I didn’t know to this fast, twisty descent, but I needn’t have worried. When the rush of air subsided as we coasted along Lake Washington after the descent, Dustin exclaimed: “If that doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will!”
Dustin is a good rider, who’s clearly following the mantra that Natsuko often mentions: “Listen to the bike, and it’ll tell you all you need to know to ride it well.” It was fun to ride with him, and very relaxing because we could trust each other as we rode in close quarters.
Rides around the North End of Lake Washington often include a cafe stop in Kirkland, and today was no exception. We talked about art and whether the explanation written by experts—the ‘wall text’—is essential for understanding the work. Or should the art should create feelings and impressions on its own? We talked about bicycles and my belief that a great bicycle should feel special and ride wonderfully, even if you don’t know anything about the builder.
We didn’t keep track of mileage or speeds, didn’t record anything for Strava, but when we parted ways, we agreed that it had been a great ride. Let’s do it again soon!
More information:
- The ride around the North End of Lake Washington is available in our Routes Archive.
- More about Dustin and his book Blood and Lightning—On Becoming a Tattooer
Photo credits: Natsuko Hirose (Photos 2, 4); Dustin Kiskaddon (last photo)
