Coffeeneuring Challenge 2020 #7: Cartel Coffee Lab and Bike Cellar via Papago Park

November 23, 2020

Down to the last day of the challenge, I just needed to ride my bike somewhere to get coffee that I hadn’t already been to. I also needed a new stem for my bike. Good thing Cartel Coffee is right by my favorite bike shop The Bicycle Cellar in Tempe!

A red Surly Bridge Club in front of some decorative rocks with bags on the handlebars, stem, top tube, and saddle
You can barely see my small coffee sticking out of my stem bag
A close up of the front end of a Surly Bridge Club with a handlebar bag and a stem bag with a plastic coffee cup in it
I had to take a front end shot to show the bag. I love this bag.

The Ride

I took University all the way down to grab coffee and make my Bicycle Cellar appointment on time. They are an awesome shop that does super safe socially distant appointments. I texted them that I needed a shorter stem and they texted me back right away that they had one in stock and I could make an appointment to stop by.

On the way back I went through Papago and hit some climbs that I had to hike-a-bike to get up! I also came across a part of Papago I didn’t know existed which some small dirt jumps. There’s no way I was touching any of those so I did some downhill hike-a-bike also and walked my bike down and rode over to the nice flat canal.

A Surly Bridge Club in Papago park overlooking houses and mountains in the distance
Full disclosure: I had to walk my bike up there

The Drink

An 80 degree day in November meant it was still iced coffee weather. I went with a small Iced Americano (since it was already the afternoon and I didn’t want that much caffeine) and chugged it. It was just too good to savor it.

A half-full iced Americano on a Brooks C17 Cambium saddle

One Good Thing

New bike stem! I’m getting more comfortable with how this bike feels, and I could tell I was reaching a little far with the Moloko Bars. So I went down from a 90mm to 60mm stem and it feels much better. And props to the Bicycle Cellar for confirming that the fit looked better with the new stem.