The Radavist

Colorado Road Trippin’
Words and photos by Jeff Frane

Hello, it’s me Jeffrey Gene Frane of Bike Jerks and All-City. This is the first time John’s let me infiltrate the Radavist with my ramblings and photos, although he insisted that I let him edit the photos, something about dropping out the cyan or some such. It stung at first, but I can see how my iPhoto skillz may not be up to par for such a fine site as this…

Man, the Italians knew how to paint a bike. Rides like this will forever have a soft spot in any cyclist’s heart. It doesn’t matter if you’re new to bikes, or a seasoned, life-long rider. There’s something about a splatter paint job, a neon palette and vintage Dura Ace that just screams style.

I’m in Melbourne and staying with FYXO during the Melburn Roobaix, which is like having a museum of classic steeds at your disposal to ride and photograph.

Since the Eroica Britannia, I’ve been hankering for a classic steel road bike, scouring forums, eBay and the local Craigslist. Once I arrived at the FYXO HQ, I saw this bike and asked one question: you selling this? To which Andy replied “mate, everything has a price.”

It’s tempting… Columbus Extra Legger tubing, Dura Ace 7400, clearance for a 28c tire and yes, that paint job. It might be the vintage bike I’ve been looking for. What do you think?

Way back when I lived in Brooklyn and was helping out Mishka with their D.A.R.T. line, this guy Jeremy emails me, asking about supporting he and his lady’s (now wife) forthcoming bicycle tour – any relationship that survives a cross-country bicycle tour is bound for marriage…

We sent them some gear and they took off on their journey across the US. Years later, I’m sitting in a bar here in Austin and up walks Jeremy, introduces himself and now I see him scooting around town on his Surly Pacer.

Jeremy started a blog with his wife called America Y’all and they spend their weekends exploring the parks surrounding the Austin area. Last week, I caught up with him at the Wright Bros Brew & Brew and shot some photos of him and his mutt, Piper. Check out some Ride Along questions below!

Warning: this post contains the bane of everyone’s existence this winter – snow. I apologize and promise to bring warm vibes from here on out. Seriously.

I absolutely love riding my Pugsley around Austin. Both on and off-road, it’s been a blast and the number one question I get is: “what’s that bike for?”. My answer “snow”… This causes a look of puzzlement on their faces. There’s no snow in Texas! Naturally, but it’s still fun to motor around town and hit some trails.

Riding a fatbike in the snow is something I’ve yet to do, so when Jeff told me to stay a few days longer after Frostbike, I brought my Pugs and threw on some platform pedals. Our first stop (and as it turns out, only stop) was the River Bottoms. Kyle and I had been there before with Jeff, in the summer months and I was eager to see how much it had changed after the all snow and freezing temps.

We kitted up in waterproof fabrics and wool, set our PSI to around 8 and 10, brought some snacks and of course, Baroo, Jeff’s Basenji / Red Heeler mix trail dog… What happened next was a mix of riding and an “Adventure by Hike”.

Look, I love the ‘wood and I love dirt. I’d rather spend six hours in the woods than three on sealed road. Why? It’s more fun. Especially when you find yourself on a 29+ MTB like a Surly Krampus (don’t worry, there’s a review coming). On one of my last days in Minneapolis, Jeff, Kyle and I rode the “River Bottoms” with Baroo, Jeff’s dog.

We took it at a chill pace, messed around on obstacles and stopped for the photo opps… Then, Kyle sprained his ankle and Baroo got overheated (90 degrees in Minneapolis is HOT).

I have to admit, in the 25 miles we rode, I had so much fun riding in the ‘wood with my mates. See for yourself in the narrated Gallery!

I really, really had a blast in Minneapolis. As a by-product of running this site, I always have a camera on me. Unfortunately for some people, that means I am usually catching them doing something idiotic. Fortunately for you, it’s quite funny to see some of that behavior unfold.

What you’ll fine within this narrated Gallery is only part of some of the stories to be told here on the site at a later date. Most of these photos involve the following: bros, babes, Baroo, beaches, bikes, beer and bourbon. Simple enough right? Check out more in the Gallery!

Two years ago, Chas and Walton from MASH sat down with the designers at Cinelli in Italy to work on the next track frame. After years of riding track bikes both on the street and in races, the two of these athletes knew exactly what they wanted. The end product was something unlike any track bike Cinelli has made before: a mixture of new technology with performance and practicality in mind.

Last year at Interbike, Cinelli handed over two of the prototypes, which were spraypainted with Montana outside Mash’s flagship store in SF (in fact, you can still see blue and green overspray all over the sidewalk). Chas’ green track bike has traveled the world and seen its share of the fast n loose riding lifestyle. It’s been in multiple Red Hook Crits and bombed the streets of SF and NYC alike.

The most noticeable difference in this frame, versus the older MASH frames include a tapered fork and head tube for added stiffness and proprietary hydroformed Columbus tubing. A level top tube and traditional track geometry add a confident stance to this bike’s profile. In short: the Mash team is very happy with their work and with new paint samples on the way, I had to shoot photos of this bike while it was still built up….

Many thanks to Chas and Lindsey for recommending the sunset bike shoot location and Bucket for showing his appreciation.