The Radavist

… the Mountains of Madness are calling!

“Erik Hillard has always believed the best way to know a rugged trail is to bike it. But for nearly a decade, the historic Gabrielino Trail in the peaks above La Cañada has been all but unknowable to mountain bikers.

The 2009 Station fire and the rainy season that followed it rendered impassable much of a 26-mile stretch of the trail.”

Check out the full story at the LA Times and see our gallery in the Related sidebar!

I wanted to share this article with you, outlining the financial decision of Vista Outdoors to sell off Giro/Bell/Blackburn, which the company states it had plans of doing so before the outcry a few months back.

“Vista’s firearms and ammunition sales had already been soft for several quarters when the company found itself in the spotlight following the Parkland High School shooting in February. On March 1, REI, MEC and some independent retailers said they would stop ordering Vista products because of Vista’s lack of response following the shooting. Although REI and MEC don’t sell firearms, they sold Bell, Giro, Blackburn and other Vista Outdoor outdoor cooking and water sports brands.

“We have been on this path … way before any of the noise came about eight weeks ago.” — CEO Chris Metz

In an investor conference call Tuesday, Vista Outdoor CEO Chris Metz said the canceled orders had little effect on the company. Answering an investor question, Metz noted that REI represents less than 1 percent of the company’s total sales.”

Continue reading at Bicycle Retailer. Thank you for your patience and understanding in this issue.

This weekend, be like Air Bear™, Kyle Kelley, in his Bedrock Sandals! Or perhaps choose safer footwear. ;-)

This time of year is the best, as the sun resides in the sky for a bit longer, it allows our rides to happen well into the evening. Last night, 13 of us took on our favorite loop as the sun dropped behind the glow of the city. Before we knew it, it was 9:30 PM.

I can’t wait for the coming months!

Jan from Compass and Bicycle Quarterly takes us on a look through the “Derailleurs of the World – Huret” book, with some incredible insight. If you like to nerd out on vintage bikes and components, head to the Bicycle Quarterly blog for more.

Photos by Wolf Ruck, words by Brian Vernor

“It was my friend Kevin Wilkins, founding editor of The Skateboard Mag and an avid mountain biker, who first came across the film on YouTube and sent it to me. The upload date said 2010 and the quality of the video was grainy at best, a poorly digitalized version of old celluloid that made it hard to view details.

But you didn’t need a sharp image to see the obvious— if dated—skills of the mountain bikers it portrayed. The mustaches, the fanny packs, and cutoff-jeans, the insane bike setups with everything from drop to bull-moose bars, the riders’ radical style; it all added up to a masterpiece both timeless and purely 1980s.

The film was titled Freewheelin’, and was made with a windup 16mm camera by someone named Wolf Ruck. I immediately emailed Kevin back, and our conversation went crazy from there. We scoured the internet for more information, but beyond the grainy YouTube video, Freewheelin’ seemed to be completely forgotten. The original publishing date said 1985, ancient in mountain bike terms—so ancient that, as far as we could tell, the poetic, funny and, by any standard, action-packed romp was the first mountain bike film ever made.”

Check out this story at Freehub Magazine and make sure you pick up a subscription!

Unfortunately, my time in Santa Rosa, Napa, and Petaluma is coming to a close but man, what a trip this has been! We got tons of great content on the way next week, but for some teasers, check out our Instagram.

… I’m hoping to sneak in a few more rides in the high Inyo zone, right after the snowmelt and right before the heat really sets in. This whole region is a literal playground for hardtails and road bikes.

… there’s a lot more Utah and even Colorado coverage coming at ya next week!

We’re on a two-week road trip in Utah, from Kanab to Moab, exploring various places in between and riding bikes as much as we can. Expect an epic, geological, mind-blowing gallery when we get back! For now, follow @JohnProlly for some snippets along the way.

If you’re in Stillwater for the Land Run 100, come find us at District Bicycles. We’ll be here all weekend covering the event, the bikes and the people of this 100-mile dirt road race and while you’re here, be sure to try out the Iron Monk Mid-South IPA!

… and it looks like we’re bringing the sunshine with us.