Seoul on Two Wheels: Bikes, BBQ, and Friends

Earlier this year, Clint and I had the opportunity to ride in South Korea with some amazing cycling and industry friends. Late in the afternoon the day of our arrival, we were welcomed by Antony and Jeounghun of Korb, our South Korean distributor. After scooting over to Rookey Bikes and quickly assembling our Neutrinos, we set off to get acquainted with Seoul over bikes and traditional Korean bbq. 

During dinner, Jeounghun actually reminded me that we met for the first time waaaay back in 2017 when he displayed at Philly Bike Expo. My gosh, it was eons ago. I can only find one pic of his bike from then, but it's a good one.

We stopped at Hitch Bicycle Club HQ to check out their wares. If you're looking for some fun accessories and riding gear, check them out! Their riding pants are some of my favorites.

The next day we were on our way to HBC Coffee when we saw an enormous gaggle of runners all waving South Korean flags celebrating their Independence Day holiday! 

When we arrived to HBC Coffee, we were greeted with the amazing aroma of brewing coffee and fresh, homemade cookies. I savored the cappuccino and felt my life-force flowing back into my body. I ate one cookie and stashed another in my frame bag for later. #cookiesoutside

As folks came into HBC, you could definitely feel a different vibe than any other coffee shop I’ve been in. I’ll usually order a coffee and snack, sit down, read, type away on the computer, or get lost in social media. To me, HBC felt like the first coffee shop I've experienced that was truly a community-centered space. It was a place where you could put down your guard, strike up a conversation (most Koreans speak English well), and get to know the community. Everyone was so kind and inviting.

Here is where we met our friend Marcus of @probably_riding fame. I’ve been talking to him for years over the internet and it was so awesome to finally meet him in person. He’s every bit as pleasant as he is in his videos. He actually made a video about our ride and visit, so please watch it!

We chatted about life, upcoming projects, and lamented about bikes that we regretted selling, mentioning his Lilac Polyvalent. It was the first bike he built up for himself and spec’d every piece. It got him through Covid and he put over 8000km on it in 2020. Since this visit, he had a set of twins, so a big congratulations to him and his family!

Once everyone was together and sufficiently caffeinated, we set off. 

Korea has some amazing bike infrastructure. They even tore down a highway that went directly through the city and turned it into cycling and walking paths that meander through the heart of downtown. The remnants still stand as a reminder of what once was there. Proponents of encouraging fast traffic into downtown areas say that it brings people in, but it doesn’t - it brings people through and residents see a quick downturn of foot traffic into their establishments.

Elevated from the road, shops along the sidewalks sell everything imaginable. Vintage Americana, casters, every imaginable food stuff, LED lighting, kids clothes, literally everything you can think of.

I wasn’t sure exactly where we were going aside from a traditional Korean market. The sights and sounds and smells were amazing and the place was bustling! It was shoulder to shoulder getting through the maze of shops and people.

We had some pancakes, lots of things on sticks, and some very fresh octopus prepared in a traditional way. Yes, it was still moving. I think they put some salt or brine on the tentacles to have them move before serving.

After lunch we continued on and put down some KMs around town and enjoyed the sights, and more delicious food.

I asked if there was a good place to photograph our bikes, and boy did they deliver. This bridge was perfect for some bicycle portraits and the sun was just starting to set so the light was really nice. Be sure to check out the gallery at the end of the post to see a ton of closeups of their bikes!

After ending the day with, seriously, the most delicious popcorn/fried chicken I’ve ever had, it was time to turn in. I had a day to myself to photograph the bike around town as well as Rookey's shop.