The Radavist

I really love the special edition jerseys that Rapha produces, especially when it’s for a man like Marco “the Pirate” Pantani. Now, Pantani was by no means a saint, but as a key figure in professional cycling’s history, Rapha is commemorating him by donating proceeds from the sales of this jersey to the Pantani Foundation.

Pick one up at Rapha and check out more details below!

This is the tenth layout of the 2013 PiNP Calendar, entitled “Sunset on Mt Lowe”. The camera, lens used and location are noted on the bottom left of the document. 

What better way to end the day in Los Angeles than an HC climb up a frontage road to watch the sun set over the mountains? Mt. Lowe is no joke, especially on a cross bike, as we all found out. While we missed the sunset at the top of Mt. Wilson, we were able to soak in its last remaining rays as our legs burned…

Right Click and Save Link As – 2013 PiNP Calendar: October

It’s been in the 50’s every morning up in the mountains of Vermont where I’m staying even though last week it was in the upper 90’s. As I was packing for this trip, at the last minute, I grabbed my Endo Customs wind vest and tossed it into my duffle. This one in particular is the Tracko splinter camo design, which came out ridiculously rad.

The thing about vests is they keep your core warm, without overheating you like a jacket and they’ll pack away into a jersey pocket with ease. The Endo vests have three pockets, vented sides and a large zipper pull that’s easily found through full finger gloves. I’ve only used it a few times and I’ve got no complaints. It fits better than other gilets or vests I’ve used, especially when coupled with Endo kits.

Really, the only bummer is, you can’t buy it direct from Endo, you have to wait until someone sells a design as part of a kit. Winter is coming and I think I’ve got a pretty rad idea for my next kit run, so stay tuned!

This ride broke me and I’m not ashamed to admit that. After 8 hours of riding in 25 degree weather, through headwinds, frozen rain and mud, I cracked. When I packed for the trip to NYC, Philly and this ride, Sandy wasn’t even on the map. So I left all my rain gear, winter gloves, jackets and wool at home in Austin. In a mad dash to acquire appropriate gear, I found myself without a lot of options.

Cheap gloves, leg warmers and a packable rain jacket quickly reminded me that I was underprepared for the weather we faced out of Pittsburgh and into the mountains. For the entire morning, my body convulsed as I shivered. My hands went numb for hours and I was soaking wet from head to toe. I still can’t feel my finger tips or palms and my jaw was sore this morning from chittering all day. But today was a different story… We’re sitting just outside of DC, awaiting our flights home.

More on this story to come. For now, check out the #GoYonder Instagram tag and I want to thank all the dudes who made this trip so memorable!

This year, Chrome is doing something a little different with their limited edition bag run:

“Each season Chrome drops a limited edition of our most popular bags. This year we’ve partnered with Ben Ferencz – gentlemen, farmer, and creative director of the much loved Freeman Transport (R.I.P.). Designer and maker of stuff from the mountains & valleys of Montana, Ben is originally from NYC and has a unique perspective on what it means to live the city.

CHROME ELEMENTS includes heritage buckle messenger bags, technology packs, militia rolltops and accessories. Inspired by the natural dyes and trims used in original outdoor gear of the 1930’s and 40’s. Guaranteed for life.

ALL PRODUCTS MADE IN THE USA”

See more at Chrome and check out an interview with Ben Ferencz below.

At this point, I shouldn’t have to legitimize Instagram, especially to the readers of this site. Aside from the visual stimulus, it’s a great resource for the local routes and spots our fellow riders find themselves facing on the daily. When I scroll through my feed, there are a few people who I look forward to checking out. Some are cyclists, others are artists, or just really damn good at the lovely square composition. Whatever their walk of life may be, these people make me envious of their surroundings.

Not that I like “rules”, I will say that all of these users stick strictly to their iPhones. Something even I don’t bother adhering to!

Check out my top picks below.

“Astral Blood” off Celestial Lineage

Ok, so it’s been a while but what a perfect album to bring about the return of Tuesday Teardown!

I’m a hypocrite. When Oregon-based Wolves In the Throne Room released Black Cascade, their homage to the Cascade Mountains of their home state, I sang praises for weeks about it. Then I started to really listen to the album and after putting it on heavy rotation, I lost interest. Why? I still don’t know. Maybe because there were much better black metal releases that year, or because I felt like they were getting too much praise for too little work. Years later, I’m back into Black Cascade but I’ve yet to warm up to their Two Hunters EP. Again, I’m not exactly sure why.

This year, the whole metal industry has been salivating for the release of Celestial Lineage, the new Wolves album. People wondered what they’d cook up for this release and me being the cynical fuck that I tend to be when it comes to overhyped music, already had an idea what it would be like. Was I right? Kind of. Wolves makes such an effort to break up their music with angelic singing and other sounds, focusing on the composition more so, at least in my opinion, than on their actual music. Celestial Lineage has, in many ways, lived up to my preconceived opinion.

“Thuja Magus Imperium” begins with windchimes and a harmony sung by a women, straight out of Lord of the Rings. This creates a contrast that in my opinion, muddles the album as it morphs from this introduction to Wolves’ signature tremelo picking and distortion. And it’s like a beast escaped from a cage. This is a whole new Wolves. The writing has improved immensely, the drums, guitars and basslines are fucking sharp and before you know it, it’s a jam fest. Now if only this momentum would continue.

Check out more below!

THIS. Fixed Mag 08 is looking pretty nice. Here are some details on the cover story:

Patrick Seabase
“Mountains are different”

Cover shot story…
we set off very early at 4am, grabbing a free breakfast on the way at a mountain hotel… (just say you’re staying in room 11 and it normally works)

We were looking through photographs making the selection for Fixed 08, when we found a random shot of a supply road leading to the top of the mountain island, by the dam. Patrick had not attempted this descent before, as it is off the main road and normally he rides the 30km straight down without stopping. The surface of the supply road was super sketchy, pitted with pot holes, uneven cobble stones and crumpled tarmac making it almost impossible for him to control skidding… it was good fun and we hope you will like the end result.

Ian White

© Fixed Mag
www.fixed-magazine.com

Photograph – © Ian G.C. White
www.cutterskink.com

When I saw Book of Black Earth last month, TJ and I were talking about music when he let it slip that Fenriz was doing a mixtape for Actual Pain. Well, here it is and here’s a lil something from the man himself:

Fenriz, April 30th

“Every time I heard this “Total Eclipse” by Alan Parsons, I thought “I gotta use this in a mix, it’s got that perfect space Odyssey 2001 vibe, kinda like the long version of the intro to Celtic Frost’s “Into the Crypts of Rays”. It’s cold.

So I go from cold to beautiful but still lo fi sad/melancholic on the “Without Reason” track from Pegase. One of the best songs I heard last year. To tie it up to Christian Death, I needed a middle song, a bridge. and I found that in “Nowa Aleksandira” by Siekiera, like is it punk, is it new wave, is it goth…and the tempo works well with the previous Pegase track..and so comes the Romeo’s Distress, long time favourite of mine since I discovered it in the 80s, a DJ favourite of both me and Einar from INFERNÖ/BEYOND DAWN, VIRUS etc. The whole album is a scorcher.

Then since the tape should only be 30 minutes long, I needed a short link to something more metal, and after Christian Death I’d have to go with Septic Death or Rudimentary Peni, i thought. I got that rudi-track from a fellow music freak from Australia (hi Andrew) and that track is so instant. Before the behemoth of “Sight of the Wise” with Sacrilege. Everyone plays their 1st album, I usually go on about the 2nd one as the rifforama on it is priceless – it was hard to get into as a kid but that album is the gift that keeps on giving. I get totally lost in it. Then to just continue the WHAT IS IT style, i blast the first track of the Sindrome demo from 87/88, this was the vocalist of Chicago gods Devastation’s new band, and one of the most professional demos of the 80s. I’ve been playing it for 21 years straight!

So, as a weird break and link to both the eerie intro AND the organ on the before mentioned Sacrilege track, I shoot in one heavy psalm that a master DJ here in Oslo burnt me, totally obscure vinyl oldie… and it continues with the intro to the recently discovered “At the Mountains of Madness” by Blackfeather, thanks to Peter in Wolf 359 for showing me that shocker from 1971.

SCREAMING FOR VENGEANCE, FENRIZ, APRIL 2009”

Download the mix here