The Radavist

In this episode of The Pro’s Closet Bicycle Kingdom, we explore the intricacies of Monster Track. Monster track mirrors the chaos of the city it takes place in, New York City. It is the pinnacle of Alleycat racing. It’s part party, part race, but in the end, it’s all about community.

Disclaimer: Riding bikes is inherently dangerous. That said, while we are not encouraging people to ride fixed-gear bikes in a crowded city, we do see value in sharing this story of a longstanding subculture in NYC and cities around the globe. Be careful. Ride respectfully. Spread bike love.

Today’s Readers’ Rides comes from Bavaria, Germany. Benjamin walks us through his lovely SOMA Rush in detail below, in all its fixed gear elegance…

Our friend Leo Rodgers takes off to Oatman, Arizona for the latest “Riding Fixed, Up Mountains, With Pros” video from State Bicycle Co…

“Hailing from Florida, by way of Southern California, Leo Rodgers has always craved speed and adventure. In 2007, Leo was involved in a motorcycle accident that significantly changed his life. Leo has since turned this unfortunate event into an opportunity to inspire others. Since then, Leo has traveled around the world, competing as a Paralympic medalist, participating in the most grueling gravel events, and of course, street cycling (O.G. Alleycats). Leo’s mission is to use cycling to inspire and motivate others to take action. He continues to spread his message through the Leo Rodgers Foundation.

In this episode, we take Leo to visit Oatman, AZ, a town on the historic Route 66, where the weather is hot, the roads are windy, and the donkeys are the citizens. Buckle-up buckaroos, you’re in for a Wild West Adventure!”

Crust Bikes recently received a shipment of frames and in that shipment was stock of the Florida Man singlespeed frames designed by Leo Rodgers. These bikes can be ridden as a fixed gear, a coaster cruiser, or a singlespeed (with a front brake only), are available in six frame sizes and are in stock now at Crust Bikes. Head on over to see more details of these wild-looking frames.

We love hosting and supporting the fruits of our good friends’ labor. Crust Bikes and Leo Rodgers have been working on a pro model for Leo, dubbed the “Florida Man.” This singlespeed frame can be built as a singlespeed freewheel, a coaster brake, or a straight-up fixed gear off-road machine. Check out all the details below, including how you can win one of these frames!

Los Angeles has no shortage of inspirational athletes. Skate legend Eric Koston and Justin Williams of L39ION of Los Angeles recently worked on this video for Specialized in Silverlake while talking bikes and sneakers…

In case you missed our DUST feature last week and the video embedded within the Reportage from South Africa, we figured we should share the event’s video recap (which has also been updated in higher quality). Enjoy!

Readers’ Rides aren’t meant to be all 26″ wheeled basket bikes and there’s nothing wrong with that. Part of the joy we get from running this segment is the home-made, garage-cooked creations. Take this submission for example. Nick couldn’t fit on any production frames so he built his own frame. Then to up the ante, he put a fat fork on the front for some winter shenanigans… Read on below for more!

A reader from Leipzig sent this short video over for us to enjoy on this Friday morning:

“My name is Jacob and I’ve been a cycle messenger in Germany for more than 10 years now.
This week we had an unusual and unexpected outbreak of winter here in Leipzig with strong winds and heavy snow for multiple days. The city was totally unprepared, I saw snow plows getting stuck in snow and all public transportation was off for multiple days. Since I needed to send out some letters and therefore had to go outside anyway, I decided to take my track bike and camera and try to get some nice videos of the snow-cycling-chaos.”

Thanks, Jacob!

This week’s Readers’ Rides is a little different. Chris sent in his parts bin Bombtrack Arise gravel bike. What makes this build unique is that his current build on this frame is a fixed gear. Read on below for the full build breakdown and some words by Chris…

Remember cyclocross racing? Remember its sibling tracklocross and all those excellent galleries from the Bay Area series? Well, Mash SF has something for you to consider if you’re hoping to start racing tracklocross. Their 2021 frames all got a refresh, with new paint designs, and Mash even hinted at their new Phil Wood collaboration on their blog, so head on over to see all the details.

Tory Powers is a filmmaker out of Boulder, CO and they recently just wrapped up a documentary alongside cyclist Charli Mandel.

Charli had the ridiculous idea to do the world’s first track bike Everesting last May. Alongside this, Charli was in the process of transitioning MtF. On their birthday. 200+ miles, 29,029ft of elevation, over 6000 calories, and nearly 19 hours in the saddle.

Wow!

The latest from Seabase is as awe-inspiring as ever!

“Pantelleria sits in the southern Mediterranean like a black fortress. Seemingly the crossing point between southern European and northern African cultures, I first discovered this island in the movie A Bigger Splash, as Tilda Swinton and her co-Stars drove up the most symmetrical set of switchbacks I’ve ever seen in a Mehari. It was this that piqued my interest, and certainly nurtured my obsession.”