How We Shot the Bike Issue Cover

The May–June issue of Terrain Magazine has arrived. It’s our Bike Issue — packed with stories on races, riders, gear, and the many ways cycling shapes life across our region.

You’ll find a look at the Tour of St. Louis, a profile of a spirited group of older riders known as Boomers and Bikes, a guide to gear that actually earns its keep, and a dispatch on the best places to ride in Springfield, Missouri.

There’s also a story following a St. Louis youth mountain bike team as they chase competition — and something bigger — in places like Arkansas and Puerto Rico.

In other words: plenty of reasons to ride.

But the most revealing bike story in this issue might be the one behind the cover.

Chasing the Right Image
We knew what we wanted: a cover that captured the feeling of biking in one clean, compelling shot — something that would make you want to grab a helmet and head out the door.

So we started where you’d expect. We combed through our own photos — from this issue and past ones. Nothing quite landed. Strong images, sure. Just not the image.

Next stop: stock photography. We found one that almost worked — simple, graphic, plenty of space for cover lines.

But it had that unmistakable stock-photo sheen. And the bike itself? Not exactly inspiring. More thrift-store relic than ride-you’d-choose.

 

Close, but no ride.

Then came the pivot: What if we recreated that clean, minimal look — but did it our way, with a better bike and a real St. Louis backdrop?

Shoot Day
Enter Reiss Wegman, Terrain’s social media manager and a photographer who knows how to make a place feel alive.

 

We grabbed a rental bike from the Boathouse at Forest Park and headed out from our Midtown office with a loose plan: Try everything.

Alleyways were first.

St. Louis has no shortage of them — gritty, functional, textured in a way that feels honest.

 

We shot there, then moved to a nearby wall on Locust Street.

Different light, different mood.

Still experimenting.

 

Then we found it.

A bright blue brick wall outside a coffee shop on Washington Avenue — somewhere between turquoise and robin’s egg. The kind of color that doesn’t just sit in the background; it does something.

Reiss framed the bike. The sun did the rest.

 

The photos popped immediately — warm, saturated, unmistakably spring. The type of image that feels like May before the calendar says so.

We could’ve stopped there.

We didn’t.

The Arch Test
If you’re shooting something that’s supposed to feel like St. Louis, you at least consider the Gateway Arch.

So we did.

 

On a colder, windier day, we hauled the bike downtown, added backup (Terrain sales guy Jarrid Snyder, steady hands in gusty conditions), and started shooting.

The Arch delivered scale, sure — but also crowds, clutter, and a base that proved less photogenic than you’d hope.

 

 

We got a few interesting frames.

But nothing that beat the simplicity — and confidence — of that blue wall.

The Pick
Back in the edit, the decision felt obvious.

The yellow bike against that blue brick had everything we were chasing: contrast, clarity, energy.

 

It was bold without trying too hard. Clean, but not sterile. And it gave us room to build a cover around it.

Most importantly, it felt like the season ahead — longer days, warmer nights, the urge to just go ride.

See You Out There
That’s the cover you’ll see on the May–June issue.

We like it. A lot.

 

More than anything, we hope it does what a good bike photo should: nudges you out the door. Onto a trail, a side street, a route you haven’t tried yet.

No bike? Borrow one. Rent one. Find a shop that’ll set you up right, even on a budget.

Then ride.

Spring doesn’t last forever.

Author: Shawn Donnelly is the managing editor of Terrain.

Top image: Reiss Wegman photographs a bike outside High Low coffee shop in St. Louis. (Shawn Donnelly)