January’s Recap!

Hi everyone,

I hope 2026 has started smoothly for all of you. Personally, I’m really happy to begin the year with a lot of ideas, goals, and thoughts about what the next twelve months could look like.

This is also a somewhat special year for Slow Spin Society, but I’ll share more about that in an article coming tomorrow. In parallel, we’re making a few adjustments behind the scenes, the newsletter being one of them. I’d also love to use this monthly rendezvous as a space to ask questions and gather feedback on how we can improve certain parts of SSS and make the experience more enjoyable for everyone. Because if you’re reading this, you’re probably in the 1% of top readers out here, so your opinion matters the most. You’ll find the form at the very end of this page, so please feel free to share your opinion.

On a more personal note: I won’t be attending any specific events this February, but I’ll be driving around France. If you happen to see a story of me being in your area
( @_paul_u ) , don’t hesitate to reach out. I’ve decided to embrace as many side quests as possible this year, even if I’m still on that crazy tight schedule.

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As usual, I also want to take a moment to thank everyone who took out a membership or made a donation through Buy Me a Coffee. Thank you for keeping SSS alive!

If you enjoy what you see here, you can support SSS by Buying Me a Coffee. Click on that cup and help this project grow and thrive for the price of one cappuccino a month!

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On Slow Spin Society This Month:

So without further ado, let’s get into what happened on SSS this past month!

As is tradition, here’s a short open letter to mark the beginning of the year, and a reminder that even as Slow Spin Society has been exploring more forms of cycling recently, fixed gear remains at the very center of it all.
➡️ Here’s to Another Lap Around the Sun.

Also as tradition now, here is a collection of off-shoots and pictures throughout this year. A gallery of unreleased content, but also a little explanation of how I’d like to introduce digital photography from time to time here on SSS.
➡️ Slow Spin Society, 2025 Still (Mostly) On Film…

And here is a video about how I’ve been using the Fuji X-Pro1 to create the pictures you’ve seen in a couple of articles recently, as well as Jona’s bike check, that you can find in The Lockup.
➡️ [Video] Bike Check with a Fuji X-Pro1 (Almost 15 Years Old!)

Finally, the first bike-check of the year, with Zach’s Squid Tracklocross setup, that I shot during the Tracklocross world championship in Barcelona last summer. A bike with a wild combination of anodized and painted components that surprisingly match all together for this fantastic dust-shredding machine.
➡️ Bike Check: Zach’s Squid VRY HRD

An incredible travel story, following Kai and Stan as they ride through Uganda on brakeless fixed gear bikes. A truly stunning adventure, shaped by breathtaking images and the courage it takes to face these roads on nothing more than 25 mm tires.
➡️ Brakeless In The Pearl of Africa. A Fixed Gear Adventure in Uganda. (Part 1)
➡️ Brakeless In The Pearl of Africa. A Fixed Gear Adventure in Uganda. (Part 2)

The review many of you have been waiting for. The A-Frame AllTrack is a true titanium race machine, yet surprisingly comfortable as a daily commuter. As always, this review isn’t about numbers, but about how the bike felt, how it rode and reacted, and what it’s like to actually live with it. So I can tell you, what you can expect if you get one.
➡️ A-Frame AllTrack Review: A Race-Bred Machine for the Dirt

If you’ve seen my initial review of the Old Man Mountain rack, you’ll probably want to read this second part, where I decide to transform my Weis into a full touring bike with an additional OMM Divide and the Ponderosa panniers.
➡️ Built for More: A Touring Setup With the OMM Divide and Ponderosa

Finally, on the very last day of January, Go and I released an article and a video for RustOut 2025. With the third edition already planned for May 2026, this might just be the final push you need to grab a ticket, or even start planning an event of your own.
➡️ [Video] RustOut 2025: “Rust Is Proof of Life”

Of course, all blog posts are up and live for you to enjoy wherever you are, in public transport because it’s too cold to ride, or locked in because of a snowstorm.

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Collective Take:

As we’re trying to improve in many areas this year, I’d like to ask a few questions about the newsletter. You’re around 500 readers every month, but I’d like to know what you really expect from this monthly release. The result will be published in February’s recap, and everything is, of course, anonymous.

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✍️ : Paul