Newsletter: week of 4/7

Now feels like the right time to tell you about a big project I've been working on! In a few weeks, I will be biking 450 miles from NYC to Rochester, NY, on an e-bike powered by the sun. Well, kind of. Let me explain.

I moved to NYC in 2012 to attend the School of Visual Arts (SVA), a small arts college that I will be paying for for the rest of my life, haha. Having always loved biking, I had a crazy idea freshman year to bike home to Rochester someday and surprise my parents. Cut to over ten years later, and I still haven't done it. But about six months ago, I remembered that goal and thought it could pair pretty damn well with my "take tech outside" ethos, but it would need a bit more tech. So, in true Becca fashion, I upped the stakes. What if, instead of just biking home, I did it on an e-bike? And what if I never plugged that e-bike in?

With the gears 😉 turning on this idea, I started mentioning it to folks in my life and eventually in a YouTube video which led to a few folks reaching out via the submission form on my website, including Brendan Carberry who had "recently made a solar-powered e-bike" and "wanted to offer to help." <3

So in a few days I'll be flying out to Brendan's shop to build the most bad ass solar trailer an e-bike could ask for. Now, while I would love for that trailer to power the bike completely, Brendan, via his own experience in trying that, has warned that turning is nearly impossible because of the sheer amount of solar panels needed in order to fully power an e-bike. So, instead, we plan to build a trailer with a few small panels that can charge a power pack for me to charge my batteries with at night. I also plan to have a few batteries so that days with less sunny skies don't hinder how far I can ride.

As for the bike itself, the folks over at Priority Bicyles are hooking it up with one of their Current Plus e-bikes that my manager and I somehow convinced them to paint for me. I made a silly little graphic with a cowboy holding a smartphone for the front of it, too. Check out the photos below!

Lastly, the route! A few years ago, New York State created the Empire State Trail, which consists of 750 miles of mostly connected trails that can take you as far north to south or east to west as you can go within the state. It's incredibly cool and, in my opinion, not talked about enough. Though time will tell if it's actually worth talking about 😅.

Oh! And, as if I needed to make this any more difficult, I really want to do this entire ride off the grid, so I will be camping every night.

It's a lot, I know.

So, if you or anyone you know has bike packed, please send any and all advice. As much as I love to bike, I have never biked this many miles, and truthfully, I have no idea what I am getting myself into. But the dates are set, the wheels are almost literally in motion, and the stoke is real!

my steed <3

With that, here is everything else I thought about this week!

What I read this week: (It was a slow reading week around here)

‘Elon Musk’ Was a Prolific Money Launderer for Hackers and Drug Traffickers. It Was Secretly the FBI

All about Brian Finke
The bright flash, the square format 🔥

What I watched:

Making of the Severance Season 2 Intro Title Sequence
I always made Hannah watch the whole intro for Severance. Those amazing graphics never got old for me. Fun fact: Ben Stiller found this artist on Instagram.

We Went To Montana: The Housing Inequality Will Shock You
This is my favorite form of journalism- pieces focused on local stories that I would otherwise never know about.

A Year on 16mm Film
I have been studying a lot of 16mm YouTube content, and I can officially confirm there is a 16mm video coming from me in a few months :)

THE PHOENICIAN SCHEME - Official Trailer (Wes Anderson's next film)
I pray this has the spirit of Moonrise Kingdom and not Asteroid City, which was FINE but not great imo.

What I listened to:

Love And Let Go - Valerie June

There’s A Rhythmn / Au Revoir - Bon Iver

Blink Twice - Shaboozey, Myles Smith

Joe from Austin City Limits - Alabama Shakes
(a top 20 favorite song of all time for me)

Okay! That is all I have for you this week. Start sending good vibes for sunny weather my way?
Have a great weekend, bud!
-Becca