The Radavist

There are very few experiences like riding a custom bicycle, but when it comes down to it, there are plenty of frames out there that are completely fitting for most people. These frames were designed to be raced, or just plain ridden, like many of the bikes on the market today. While they might not be custom-fit, they were fine-tuned for their intended use. In short: if the frame fits, shred the shit out of it.

Cole was looking for a new road frame last year and while it was tempting to go continue saving for a custom steel rig, he decided to keen an eye on eBay and Craigslist, in hopes that something, light, tight and Italian might pop up in his size. Low and behold, it did. A NOS Rossin crit frame from the early 90’s hit eBay one day and soon, it arrived in Austin. All for around $700.

He chose Campagnolo Athena 11, Mavic Open Pro rims, a classic 3TTT Pro Chrome Columbus stem, Deda bars, Zipp post, Fizik Antares VS saddle, Speedplay pedals and some reliable Conti rubber. The build is very tasteful and the lines of this classic race bike are seducing enough for even the seasoned carbon ‘pro-minded’ consumer to second guess their recent ‘upgrade’…

Thanks for dropping by the office today Cole!

Andy White of FYXO has a pretty decent bicycle collection, ranging from some Australian pedigree, to classic Italian, carbon madness and bikes like this immaculate Concorde Squadra with a mix of Campagnolo.

Most of Andy’s bikes are obvious choices but this one stood out as being a bit different…

So I asked him why, out of all the bikes on this Earth, did he spend so much time building up a Concorde Squadra PDM? Nothing against these frames, they’re immaculate! His answer “Because I wanted to do Concorde PDM FYXO bidons.”

That’s dedication to the cause…

Richard Hallett is the author of The Bike Deconstructed: A Grand Tour of the Modern Bicycle and part-owner of Sportif Magazine, a new publication in the UK that focuses on, you guessed it, sportif rides. While at the L’Eroica Britannia last weekend, I had the pleasure of both seeing Issue 01 and having the opportunity to shoot Richard’s newest frame, his vintage road.

Laced with Campagnolo Nuovo Record throughout, built with Columbus Zona tubing, Cinelli 1a / CdM bars and a Turbo saddle, this is about as classic Italian as you can get, coming from the UK, anyway. The polished stainless seatstay caps and head badge pop from the classic Gios-inspired paint. All this, topped off with a custom painted Silca pump from the 70’s and rolling on Challenge Strada tires. Sorry, tyres…

For added stiffness, Richard used a bi-lam construction on the bottom bracket (not pictured – you’ll have to figure that one out on your own). Richard’s bike took him across the L’Eroica Britannia 100 mile course with ease, which is partially a testament for his own fitness as a life-long bike racer.

While I enjoyed photographing this bike in the morning sun, as it kissed the Peak District’s green hills and cow pastures, I had even more fun shooting the shit with Richard each night. I’m very impressed with both Sportif Magazine, Richard’s frames and wish both of them the best. Holler at him on Twitter for more information.

Cheers!

The Rivendell Ramboullet, a multi-purpose road bike with long reach calipers and clearance for up to a 38c tire. It’s a super practical light tourer and everyday ride, made even more practical with S&S couplers.

The Cinelli XCR embodies the ideologies representing the brand’s history of making performance steel racing bicycles. Much like the modern big brother to the Supercorsa, the XCR is made in Italy, individually, by hand.

It just so happens that every one of these frames is made to order. Custom if you will, because each frame is welded after an order is placed, which, to me, is pretty rad.

For people like Garrett Chow, the man responsible for many of MASH’s designs, the XCR was exactly what he was looking for after riding strictly carbon for years. He wanted some compliance with a livelier stride…

When the crew at Cinelli / Columbus offered to build him a bike, he gladly obliged and requested a white paint job with Mash insignia added in. Garrett spared no expense on the bike, building with with Campagnolo Record 11, 3T and Fulcrum Racing Lite XLR race wheels. Basically, everything on this bike is made in Italy, minus the Chris King headset and LOOK pedals.

I shoot a lot of nice bicycles, but this one made me nervous as we propped it up on the side of Diablo… See more in the Gallery and thanks to Garrett for thinking of me when it came to shooting this bike!

The late 80’s and early 90’s saw a lot of serious shred sleds, many of which have become icons in the vintage MTB world. This is one of those icons, the early 90’s Colnago Master. These bikes were the epitome of Italian design and fabrication, notoriously behind the times when it came to tech – hence the chainstay mounted rear u-brake, but made with the same precision as their road-equivalence.

Using Columbus Gilco tubing and an arabesque seat tube cluster, the Masters are still some of the most iconic MTBs, over 20 years later.

The owner, Ray bought it off eBay, as is – sans the Campy QR, grips, pedals and computer. It’s immaculate and the details are just so wild, right down to the Shimano XT drivetrain, which is arguably better than the Italian counterpart… When I saw it atop of his caravan at the ATOC, I politely asked if I could photograph it.

When I launched the Radavist, one intention was to give some of my best friends a platform to share their photography. Kyle Kelley is an exceptional photographer and his bike shop, Golden Saddle Cyclery, needs no introduction here. A lot of insane rides come through the shop and I miss out on photographing them. I had an idea… and passed it off to Kyle.

Golden Saddle Rides is a series, showcasing the many bikes that roll through the doors of the shop, beginning with this early 2000’s Nagasawa road. Coincidentally, this bike is FOR SALE and will be at the Super Swap Portland at the GSC booth…