The Radavist

I love paint jobs like this, found on the newest custom frame from Colossi, the Bobby Brown road. See more at the Colossi Flickr.

I’m sure it’s maddening as a viewer of this site being constantly bombarded with high-end, custom bikes on a daily basis. Meanwhile, your apprehension and financial situation has you riding something from [insert big brand here]. Not that there is anything wrong with that. The best bike for you is the one you are able to ride.

In the time I’ve been covering frame building, builders and custom bicycles, I’ve dealt with this internal debate: am I being exclusive here? Custom and production frame building is anything but exclusive, it is however something that requires financial planning. I’m here to break it down for you in what I’m so nonchalantly calling “A Guide to Buying Your First Custom Bicycle”.

Check out more below.

Ira and Tony at Breadwinner Cycles just recently announced the production of their Arbor Lodge porteur bike. While a porteur might not be for everyone, you’d have to find a pretty good reason to not want a ride like the Arbor Lodge. The integrated u-lock is such a rad detail. See more information at Breadwinner.

When Mitch from Map Cycles first told me about this project, I was beyond stoked. So many people want to pick up a classy, made in the USA touring bike but can’t completely break the bank. Not saying this project will be cheap by any means, but it’s a pretty good deal. Here’s the deal from Map:

“Collaboration between Steelman Cycles and myself (Steelman & Pryor, hence S&P). Frame, fork, racks and wet paint from $3000. Stock sized, custom fit and finish. We have a 53, 55, and 57 cm left in our first batch and more to come soon.”

Join the email list at mapbicycles.com/ for full details.

FBM has been making their Sword track frames in the USA since day one and now, they’re just posted up a full size run in three colors on their site. See more details at FBM, order one through your local FBM shop or scoop one here.

This just in from the crew at Dosnoventa:

“We proudly present the Barcelona Lugs, our new frame inspired in the japanese keirin competitions. Made of Spirit Columbus steel in black color with all details handpainted in gold.”

Check out more photos and purchasing information at Dosnoventa.

The guys at No 22 have been working hard to get their bike company off the ground. One of their recent customer builds is this Great Divide road with Shimano Ultegra 6800. I really, really love the total package here. Check out more at the No 22 Flickr!

Interested in one? They’re offering this package as a stock build for $4,499 CDN. Email sales@22bicycles.com for details.

I made a comment on Twitter this morning about “cross practice”. To me, bike control is inherently more important than learning mounting and dismounting techniques. If you’re new to cross, riding in the woods will teach you everything you need to know, from cornering, dismounting, run ups and bunnyhopping. Clinics are great and I fully support them but you’ll learn more eating shit on a trail than riding in a grass field.

You can learn other techniques as you go, but bike control is going to win you a race, not saving a fraction of a second on your dismount (especially if you’re a new rider / racer). Get out in the woods and get rad. Ride, have fun and eventually, you will be damn good at it and make it look easy! As exhibited here by Matt Hall on the new Breadwinner Cycles Hole Shot cyclocross bike.

Granted Matt Hall has been racing cross in Portland for over a decade… Check out more lovely detail shots of this rad bike at Breadwinner and apologies for my Monday morning rantings.

I love seeing brands working with their local frame builders. Ten Speed Hero and Method Bikes worked on a pulling together a small batch of fillet brazed road frames. Once built up with Campy Super Record 11, it comes in around 15lbs. Head over to Ten Speed Hero for more.

The world is going bonkers for disc brakes on drop-bar bikes and Surly is leading the way. While I’m not sold on the fad, I will say this bike looks sick. Here’s the word from Surly:

“…the Straggler, Surly’s long overdue disc brake equipped cross bike. The first thing you’ll probably notice is that it’s got disc brakes. Good, now that we got that out of the way let me point out a couple more things that make it stand apart from our venerable CrossCheck. The rear dropouts have been totally redesigned with a couple things in mind – Disc brakes, rear derailleur, single speed, and ease of wheel removal. The Straggler frame & fork is also ED coated to help to improve the life of your frame. The Straggler fork is using the Long Haul Trucker dropouts, mid blade & crown eyelets to accommodate a wide verity of fenders and racks.  A complete build spec will be available on our website soonish.”

Throw some Bruce Gordon Rock n Road tires on that thing and rip away! Keep an eye on Surly for more updates.

The latest from Superb is going to make a lot of people drool. I love loud, vibrant paint jobs and details like those wheels really add to the overall build. That’s a damn good looking bike. Check out more at Superb.

Dosnoventa had begun featuring their frames in quick web videos. This one showcases their Houston track frame.

Everyone loves the Kagero and now the Renovatio takes a step in a new direction:

“Leader Bikes is pleased to announce it’s newest collaboration with Pedal Consumption: The Renovatio.  Luke Binder, California’s 2010 Elite State Roadrace Champion, has quietly been testing the frameset both on and off the track to ensure it’s high quality construction and compact geometry meets the high expectations set by the previous Leader X Pedal Consumption frame, the Kagero.  Look for The Renovatio this Fall at your local Leader Bikes dealer.”

Check out more below!

There’s a new offering from Breakbrake 17, the Karma Track:

“The BB17 Karma track frame geometry was inspired from the modern track racing bike, Features like short wheelbase, responsive but also stable and comfortable. The frame is an ideal bike for urban track riders.  7005-T6 Triple Butted tubes makes the frame lighter and stiff to give you control to transferring all your power to the road. ROUND-AERO down tube sharp and unique tapered seat stays to dissipate road shock for a smooth ride.

Colors available in : Matt Gray/Blue, Matt Black/Purple, Brushed Satin Finish with Clearcoat/Yellow”

See more below!

I have to say, this is the best looking Histogram to date. Before there were dozens of modern, aluminum low pros, there was the Cinelli Mash Histogram. These frames have found their way to the far reaches of the globe and for 2014, Mash did something a little new:

“With the 2014 trade shows approaching, there will be more information available on collaborations we have in store with Cinelli. The first announcement is the revised finish of our Histogram set. This polished frame shares the original lines, updated in grayscale tones. We will open a pre-order 30 days before these land in the US later this fall. Stay tuned!”

I’m sure I’ll be seeing and shooting one of these soon enough…

A red 1977 lugged Serotta track frame to be exact. Ride a 57cm? Head over to Bike Jerks for the scoop. It won’t last long at $650!

Aventón Bikes offer hydroformed, double-butted aerodynamic 6061 track frames for under $350 in white, gloss black and polished. Check out more shots below, more information at Aventón Bikes and scoop one up at City Grounds.