The Radavist

Happy Father’s Day!

On our road trip up to Bozeman for the Swift Campout, we mosied up through Abiquiu to visit some friends who own a nice little tract of land in the hills. At a favorite lunch stop of ours, we bumped into a father and son bikepacking duo from Arkansas. They are riding the Tour Divide from south to north, beginning in New Mexico. They were 14 days into their trip when we bumped into them. They looked cooked!

We’re continuing up through the Western United States with Bozeman being our final destination but man, our time in Santa Fe was magical. We’ve got much more content rolling through over the weekend and into next week, so stay tuned and have a great weekend!

Friends of this site and Bruce Gordon just informed us that he has passed away. With more details to come, I’d like to take a second to commemorate Bruce’s contributions to the very sport we all love and hold dear to our hearts. Bruce was a true legend and in a lot of ways, he helped pave the way – no pun intended – for our off-road cycling obsessions. Ride in peace, Bruce.

We’ll list the rolling updates here for you to note:

06.03.2019 Update: comment count added and masthead is now centered!

Next update: Gallery thumbnails, arrow navigation, lightbox

Yeah! It was long overdue and a long process but the Radavist 2.0 is finally live thanks to the hard work of Grant Blakeman! Well, it’s partially live. We still have a lot more updates to roll out but the new framework is in place. This post is merely here to allow you to give feedback and for us to give you a walk-through…

We’ve got mountains of photos to work through from last weekend’s gravel races with Rugile Kaladyte delivering Dirty Kanza photos and John cranking on Lost & Found. Stay tuned!

We’ll be there for another grueling year of Lost Sierra back roads and the nonstop party that is the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship’s hardest race! See ya there?

Buzzworms, as Ed Abbey called them, get a bad rap, yet these beautiful to some, horrific to others, cold-blooded creatures are essential blocks in the biologic pyramids, especially in the desert. With warmer weather upon us, don’t be surprised to see any number of exothermic animals basking in sunlight, sometimes right in the middle of the trail. Many times, however, these snakes will be coiled up in the shade right next to the trail. In either case, give these ancient animals space and allow them to move off the trail. Don’t molest them, and don’t tread on them. They’re crucial elements in the ecosystem and don’t view you as food. In fact, they just want to be left alone. Snakes won’t chase you, they won’t bite you, unless they feel threatened. If you’re curious, maintain a safe distance and watch them from 10′ away. Snakes like this can strike up to half the length of their bodies. Don’t underestimate the speed of their strike!

While in Sedona, we came across this stunning Blacktail Rattlesnake – Crotalus molossus – while riding Hiline. It was one of my favorite moments on the trip. Expect more Reportage from Sedona later this week!

Good news to cyclists who use American Airlines to travel around the world. The airlines have lifted their fee for traveling with a bicycle. As long as your bike falls within their restrictions: Standard checked bag fees of your destination apply up to 50 lbs / 23 kgs and 126 in / 320 cm (length + width + height) or $150 fee applies from 51 lbs / 23 kgs to 70 lbs / 32 kgs. So as long as your bike box is under 50lbs and under 126 linear inches, you’re good to go. Your bike does however fall within normal baggage fees. For more exceptions, see this page at American Airlines.

We’re taking Memorial Day off to ride our bikes but we’ll be back tomorrow with some fresh content.

Howdy, you wonderful people. After pushing the limits of his ultralight bikepacking tent, Ryan and I think it’s time to move on to a more rebust platform. Right now, we’re looking at the Hyperlite or the Zpacks tents but wanted to reach out to you, the readers, to see what experiences you have had with tents? High winds, rain, and constant use are the deciding factors we’re concerned with. What thoughts do you have?

Shred like Poppi and if you’re in Los Angeles, make sure you head to the California Golde Premiere! Free tickets are available at EventBrite.

Also, we have a new website dropping on Monday, so we’ll be laying low this weekend preparing for the big reveal! Ride ya bike!

Throughout the course of my fascination with cycling, I have used Time Atac pedals. My first clipless experience was riding mountain bikes in central and western North Carolina, from the Piedmont to the Pisgah, I learned to navigate an early 2000’s hardtail over the slick rocks and roots of those wooded trails. As a cyclist, I’ve come a long way since those early days of riding Time pedals, my body has changed, and I’m getting older.

Like worn out bearings in a full suspension bike, having worn out knees and other joints can really ruin a ride. I was diagnosed with Osgood-Schlatter when I was 15 after an abrupt growth spurt. The resulting scarred tissue and calcification rendered large bumps right below my knee caps. Throughout my 20’s and into my early 30’s, I had very few cases of inflammation, yet into my late 30’s, it doesn’t take much to cause swelling and pain in my knee from riding. This inflammation is caused by everything from overexertion on road rides, to pushing through washboarded or sandy roads on bike tours, or even just going too hard on one of my everyday routes here in Los Angeles.

It took this last incident to really re-think my riding experience and evaluate what small changes I could make to my pedal stroke, foot placement, and even mental state, yet the biggest change is the one I wasn’t expecting; a shift from my favorite Time pedals to Shimano.

It’s rare that an op-ed piece about such an important topic makes so many exceptional points, but this Outside Online piece is well worth the read. Please, do yourself a favor and check out Joe Lindsey’s piece!

If you live in the Pacific North West and are looking to get into bicycle camping but need some gear and insight, the newly launched Swift Adventure Co is there for you. Swift Adventure Co is a sister company to Swift Industries. They offer insight to Field Adventures, Urban Workshops, and Outfitters, making renting bikes and buying gear easy. Head over to the newly launched Swift Adventure Co for more information! Congrats to the Swift team for this!

We’re about to place an order for some new jersey designs and wanted to poll you, the readers about which sort of jersey you’d like to see? In short, road or mountain? This spring/summer order will feature more solid tones and fewer patterns, so they’ll be more like our jerseys from years prior. Please cast a vote below so we have a handle on quantities to order. Thanks!

We’re here in Monterey, California for the Sea Otter Classic, camping and breathing in some of that fresh coastal California air. If you’re here, make sure you say hey and we’ll see you out at the Laguna Seca Raceway!

Want to support trail building, the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz and win a Caletti? Check out how below!

“One lucky supporter will get a custom steel Caletti Cycles frame in the Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz’s (MBOSC) “Support Trails & Win a Caletti” campaign. MBOSC is a 501(c)(3) non-profit trail stewardship and advocacy organization that works to improve trail access in Santa Cruz. Donors receive one entry for every $10 donated to MBOSC between now and May 4 when a winner will be selected. The winner then gets to work with John Caletti, framebuilder and owner of Caletti Cycles, on a custom steel frame. The winner can choose any frame model that Caletti Cycles offers. Donations can be made at www.mbosc.org/win-a-caletti. “