The Radavist

Over the next few weeks, Kona will be rolling out their drop bar adventure bikes, beginning with the Rove DL and Roce LTD models today. The DL is a 650b do-it-all, no-nonsense fully-steel bike, filled with all the cargo and extra bottle bosses you’d need in a neat, tight, 1x drivetrain kit. The DL’s fork has cargo bosses and this year, it comes in a bright blue. While the Rove LTD is a 2x, 650b machine with a carbon fork, also equipped with cargo bosses on the fork. Check out the full spread at Kona! If you’d like a full review, check out our Related column below the fold.

The 8Bar Mitte V3 is an aluminum frame that can transform from a gravel bike to a road bike and back with the simple adjustment of their Twist dropouts. If your road wheels have a 140mm discs and your gravel bike has 160mm discs, then there’s no need to adjust the brakes either. Best of all, the Mitte V3 retails for only 599,90€ and is available at 8Bar today. See more information at 8Bar Bikes.

Sometimes we get cruisers, basket bikes, dialed gravel rigs, and other times we get bikes sent to us that really pull at our heartstrings like Dakota‘s AWOL Expert. These bikes were so ahead of their time and since their inception, we’ve seen lots of bikes that have the same look and feel. So when Dakota sent his in, we had to share it! Check out Dakota’s words and photos below…

Oxford, Kona‘s Chilean distributor shares the beauty of gravel grinding across the Andes with ambassadors Canuto Errázuris and Andrés Tagle, and their cast of friends.

The Salsa Vaya is a crowd favorite and today’s Readers’ Rides comes from Ryan who presents his 650b converted Vaya 3. Read on below for more words and photos of this sweet bike!

Cotic, the makers of steel mountain frames, just announced their new Tonic, a titanium gravel bike, compatible with 650bx50 or 700cx44 wheels, built with multiple cable management options, and in a variety of build kits (GRX shown). With pricing starting at £3449 for SRAM Apex 1, the Tonic’s pricing is competitive with similarly-specced carbon frames. Each Tonic comes with a 5 year warranty for the original owner and if you don’t like it when you receive it, Cotic will take it back, no questions. See more at Cotic.

While you’re hopefully enjoying that beautiful Flaat Rod Reportage gallery, don’t miss Rodeo Labs’ recap of their Kokopelli Trail tour. See the full story at Rodeo Labs.

The second installment of Gravel and Gratitude has launched, featuring Leonardo Brasil:

“Freedom, adventure and self-sufficiency. This is why I ride bikes. In a world so dominated by motor vehicles and technology, my bicycle represents simplicity, a way to see the world powered by nothing more than my legs, imagination and loads of carbs. I am a Brazilian landscape and adventure photographer living in Colorado, who is passionate about storytelling, coffee and long days in the saddle.

I grew up riding a yellow 26’ aluminum hardtail mountain bike on hard packed gravel roads through farms and old villages with my dad in Brazil. I remember feeling a strong sense of freedom by being able to ride from one town to the next. In a lot of ways, my riding style has never really changed.”

Continue reading this story at Salsa Cycles!

Matt has submitted a Readers’ Rides post before and this week, we’re featuring his “Unicorn” Soma Wolverine build, which he’s documented in detail for your enjoyment below!

In a few short years Trinidad, Colorado has gone from a relatively unknown adventure travel destination on the I-25 border with New Mexico to one of most talked about by Front Range gravel cycling enthusiasts.  When the Colorado Tourism Office supported Explore Las Animas gravel cycling tourism campaign was launched in 2019 by Backshop Bicycle Travel Supply, an experiential agency, the goal was to make southeastern Colorado a worthy bike destination in tandem with the growing gravel trend. Now, as the Santa Fe Trail celebrates its 200th anniversary, a host of multimedia cycling tourism related content and ride events in 2021 are poised to carry that objective further down the path as Trinidad reclaims its old west mountain trail town heritage by welcoming gravel cyclists to a distinct travel experience on the Colorado-New Mexico border.

Boosting expected summer cycling visitation this year is the new Trinidad-Las Animas County Gravel Adventure Field Guide developed by the City of Trinidad to assist visitors wanting to sample the over 1,600 miles of county roads accessible from downtown. The guidebook is produced in partnership with Backshop Bikes, Beneski Design, and People For Bikes. Its 64 pages highlight the region’s distinct culture and history, and includes 11 curated Ride Spot routes that are downloadable. The guide intentionally fosters an online and offline user experience. This handy jersey pocket sized book not only helps navigate the remote southeastern Colorado terrain, but also helps make a more enjoyable trip by directing visitors to local restaurants, shops, galleries, and museums. Accompanying the guidebook’s release is a Beneski short film shot by Justin Balog detailing its contents in a fun and quirky way.

Salsa has launched a sub-site called Gravel and Gratitude and this morning, the first of three videos launched, featuring Krystal Salvent:

“During my time as a fitness professional teaching cycling classes in New York City, my best friend encouraged me to take the “spinning” thing outside. At that moment I thought, “I don’t know how to ride a bike but it can’t be too difficult, right? I teach on a stationary bike multiple times a week. The transition should be easy.” So I signed up for America’s Most Beautiful Ride, a 100-mile charity ride that helps fund leukemia and lymphoma research. With some hope, a commitment to learning something new, and a three-month deadline to figure it all out, my journey into riding was born.”

Head to Gravel and Gratitude to read the full story!

Last week, Otso Cycles announced updates to their most popular gravel bike, the Waheela C. For 2021 it has a new frameset update and four new colorways. This bike was first released in 2019 as the ultimate all-road machine with its massive tire clearance, adjustable geometry, and now Otso has added to its versatility by adding three bottle bosses to each side of the fork for extra storage capacity so cyclists can use the same bike for gravel racing as they do for longer rides like tours and bikepacking.

There are also four new colorways to share: Forest & Coral, Black & White, Burgundy & Red, and Matte Desert & Black (pictured).

Beyond the new fork and colorways, everything we know and love about the Waheela C remains:

-Adjustable geometry: Otso’s patented Tuning Chip rear dropout system allows the wheelbase to be lengthened or shortened by up to 20mm and the bottom bracket height to be raised or lowered by 4mm. This allows the Waheela C to transform from a confident, stable gravel bike (in the rear Tuning Chip position) to a nimble, agile option for CX races or local trails with tight corners.
-Giant tire clearance: this bike can fit 700c x 54mm, 650b x 54mm, 27.5” x 2.2” or 29” x 2.1” tires.
-EPS-molded carbon frame.
-Unrivaled ride quality: the rider is centered over the wheels for extra confidence and stability, while the longer top tube adds an aggressive, racy feel. Meanwhile, bowed seat stays make for a compliant rear triangle that’ll absorb bumps in the road and give you comfort while you’re spending all day on the saddle.

See more at Otso!