That article's well out of date.
I trust my Nikon SLR to focus better than I possibly could - in 99% of cases, it's much cleverer than I am. Also; tripod, schmipod; digital cameras with good low ISO performance and VR lenses mean that tripods are for self-portraits and astrophotography.
Backgrounds, yes - it makes sense to avoid anything which will detract from the subject at hand. That's why I quite like finding a nice big field of fairly neat grass and doing this:
For extra strobist points, you could eliminate that shadow with a bit of off-camera fill, too.
All you need to keep the bike upright is a bit of string and a tent peg, then have the bike leaning ever so slightly towards you, supported by the guy line. Works a treat
