BIKE STORIES: NOSTALGIC POSTCARDS FROM A LITESPEED ALUM
Every so often, an unexpected envelope shows up in my mailbox, and it's one of the small highlights of my month. Inside each brown envelope is a beautiful postcard and a 3-4 page letter that retells a true story from cycling history. This is what you get after joining the Bike Stories Mail Club, and each postcard and letter comes from someone who knows Litespeed well.
Meet Our Friend Pat Teasdale
Pat Teasdale is a lifelong cyclist who has been in the sport for the last 50 years. It all started when he wandered into a bike shop at 16, looking for something to keep him busy between football seasons. Pat ended up working there, fixing bikes and selling T-shirts at RAGBRAI, Iowa's famous ride across the state. RAGBRAI eventually became the center of his cycling passion. He met his future wife at RAGBRAI and has now ridden nearly 40 editions! He was actually one of the people who encouraged the Litespeed team to join RAGBRAI this year.
Pat and his trusty Litespeed.
Late in his career in sales and marketing, Pat decided he wanted to feel more connected to the bike world. So he joined us at Litespeed working evening shifts, where he built up frames and wheels. He eventually retired from his day job to join the Litespeed team full-time. Today, Pat is fully retired. He's stayed in touch with the Litespeed team and spends much of his free time riding his beloved titanium Litespeed T5.
What Is the Bike Stories Mail Club?
Despite having all the time in the world to ride his bike, Pat still wanted another way to stay connected to the sport he loves. His answer is Bike Stories, a mail club for people who love bikes, people, and history. The idea is simple: every 45 days, a new envelope arrives in the mail, and when you open it, you find:
- A true story about cycling history printed like a classic letter.
- A beautiful collectible postcard that goes with the story.
- A cute bicycle-shaped paper clip holding it all together.
The stories aren't always about the bikes themselves. They're often about the people who rode them. But the bicycle is the constant thread connecting this entire series. You get to discover stories of ambition, hardship, invention, courage, and plenty of strange circumstances. Topics cover everything from the earliest bicycles to the birth of new brands and disciplines to the legends of the Tour de France.
Subscribing to a year of Bike Stories is $59 and includes eight stories and eight postcards. Because you don't see a schedule, each envelope is a surprise. This is Pat's passion project. "It's a labor of love," he told me, and his greatest hope is that others who are passionate about bikes will want to receive it.
A Nostalgic Treat for Cycling Fans
I've received three Bike Stories so far!
I'm part of the Mail Club, and I've already received a few Bike Stories, including ones on Ernest Hemingway, the 1897 Buffalo Soldiers, and the Elgin Bluebird. Each was a nice surprise, beautifully packaged, and I've loved opening and reading them with my 7-year-old son. I tell him we got a new letter from "Mr. Pat," and he runs downstairs to take over reading duties. The little postcards and paperclips get preserved on a corkboard in his room. My son is absorbing cycling lore like a sponge, and we always love learning about whatever topic Pat has in store. We never know what's coming next, and that's half the fun.
It makes sense that the Bike Stories Mail Club has come from someone with a connection to Litespeed. For 40 years, we've been building titanium bikes imbued with our heritage, craftsmanship, and passion. Pat's project is an expression of that same spirit. In a digital world, there's something special about getting a real letter in the mail, and it's a nice treat for yourself or any cycling fanatic in your life. (It also makes a great gift!)
