#gravel-bike

Reportage By: john watson

A Look at the New VYNL Bikes: /rd rim – Rim Brake Road Bike and /gr Disc Gravel Bike

Last year marked a sea change for the cycling industry. On one hand, cycling saw a boom with many companies shifting to a work from home model, and employees looking for a new outdoor hobby to spend their free time. On the other, supply chain shortages ran rampant throughout the industry and suddenly the supply couldn’t meet the demand. Depending on who you talk to, parts shortages happened for a number of reasons but the bottom line is if you have the ability to sell bikes, or even frames in 2021, consider yourself lucky.

Before the pandemic, Sabrina and Max Clauson wanted a change of pace from their normal day-to-day lives so they purchased VYNL Bikes. Now they’re running it as a passion project from their home in Boulder, Colorado. While I was in town earlier this year, I swung by their house to take a look at the new VYNL brand and to shoot Max’s /rd Rim brake bike along with Sabrina’s /gr Disc Gravel bike. These no-nonsense machines come in stock geometry, have the option for custom paint, are made in the USA, and are perfect for a rider looking for a straight-up utilitarian bike for pavement or gravel.

Let’s take a look at these two builds below…

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Sage Titanium Releases the Storm King GP

Sage Titanium’s Storm King is the brand’s flagship gravel bike and for 2022, the brand offers up a revamp on this model with a RockShox Rudy fork and new, custom anodizing. Check out the press release from Sage below!

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The Fezzari Shafer Gravel Bike

The Fezzari Shafer is looking to set itself apart from the rest of the industry’s gravel offerings through its Monoform manufacturing, progressive geometry, and versatile design. See more for yourself at Fezzari.

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BMC URS LT Features a MTT Suspension Fork and Delivers 20mm of Travel

BMC’s URS platform is a very interesting one and it just got more intriguing with the announcement of the URS LT. This new model features a MTT suspension fork that offers 20mm of travel at the lower bottom bracket cup. Kind of like a Head Shok from Cannondale. BMC then tuned the geometry of the URS to what they call Gravel+. Check out the new URS LT at BMC.

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Own a New Complete Malocchio by Crust Bikes Early!

If you’re a long-legged lad or lady, and can throw them over a 59cm steel chassis, then check out the newest from our compadres at Crust Bikes. The Malocchio is the latest 1″ threaded all-road from the brand, built from Columbus Spirit tubing, with PAUL Racer center pull brakes and 42.666mm Ultradynamico tires.

Specs:
-59cm Crust Malocchio (a good fit for about 5′ 11″ and up)
-700c Pacenti Brevet Wheelset
-42.?? Ultradynamico Cava Race Tires
-Nitto Noodle HT Bar
-Nitto NP-80 Stem
-Paul Racer Brakes Front and Rear
-Berthoud Aspin Saddle
-Sun XCD Exceed 167.5 Crankset (44/28t)
-MKS x Crust Gordito Pedals
-Rivendell Silver Bar End Shifters
-8 Speed Sram Cassette 11-32t

Can we all just have a moment of silence for this beauty?

This build is for sale today. See more at Crust Bikes.

Reportage By: Rugile Kaladyte & Lael Wilcox

Komoot Women’s Torino Nice Rally: Lael and Rue’s Kit Breakdown

With a group of fifty women, we’ll begin the Komoot Women’s Torino-Nice Rally at 8 am on September 24th. It’s not a race, but a challenge to finish the route in a week with a finishers’ party at the Service Course in Nice on October 1st. While the ride is self-supported, women are encouraged to ride together, help each other, share stories and positivity and build a rolling community. It’ll definitely be hard, but it’s meant to be fun. Adventure arrives when we push our limits into the unknown with the confidence to see how it’ll unfold. I’m deeply encouraged to see fifty women take on this ride, make it personal and do their best.

Designed by James Olsen, the Torino Nice Rally is a 700km mixed surface route traversing the Alps between Turin, Italy, and Nice, France. With ten significant mountain passes, it climbs famous cols and old gravel military roads, passing small towns and refuges along the way. The highest point is over 2,700 meters with 17,500 meters of climbing. James has been hosting an event on the route for years— it’s not a race, but a challenge to finish in a week. Riders begin together and leapfrog along the way, sharing kilometers and stories. At different junctions, there are options for routing— to take the smoother longer course or the rougher more direct track. There’s always a debate about equipment choice— whether to ride a gravel bike or a hardtail, both have their benefits. Camping and staying in shelters along the way are recommended.

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Feskta’s New Scout is Beefier and More Tuned for Off-Road Use

Festka, the Czech manufacturer of high-end carbon frames, just announced their newly-designed Scout gravel frameset. The Scout was the brand’s first dedicated 1x gravel bike and this year, it got an overhaul, making it longer, slacker, with bigger tubes, and bigger tire clearance. The new model’s geometry is designed around an extended wheelbase whose scope can be tweaked further using the adjustable trail provided by the Columbus Futura Cross fork.

The new Scout frameset weighs in at 1000 grams, fits a 700×42 or 650x50mm tire and is offered in production or custom geometry, with a number of paint options. See the full spread at Festka.

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The Good Line

The Good Line is a short film about the intersection of gravel cycling and mental health, particularly as it relates to men.

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Ritchey Pings D&D Cycles on Its New Sunset Fade Outback

In 2016, we launched the Heritage Paint program for customers to have their favorite Ritchey painted by our original paint master, Rick Stefani of D&D Cycles, in one of the four iconic Ritchey colorways he developed. On offer were Camo, Urban Camo, Team Fade, and Sunset Fade.

Sunset Fade was a quiet sleeper that proved to be a fan favorite. The gentle gradation from sun yellow to rich navel-orange-ochre sang of long summer rides followed by cold drinks and high-fives. What better frame to apply this paint job to than the ever-popular Outback (check out Morgan’s exceptional review!)

These frames have just shipped to suppliers worldwide, so availability will vary from tomorrow to two weeks depending on the region. Customers can get theirs from either their local bike shop or RitcheyLogic.com for just $1699, and it pairs exceptionally well with our Classic line of components.

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8Bar Bikes: Tflsberg Steel Adventure Bike

8Bar Bikes’ newest model to hit their extensive catalog of gravel and adventure bikes is the Tflsberg steel adventure bike. It can be built up as a flat bar or drop bar bike, takes up to a 29×2.2 or 27.5×2.8 tires, features a robust and gusseted chassis, and can fit a 500mm ATC suspension fork for added comfort. If you like touring in the desert, the Tflsberg has plenty of cargo bosses too.

There are too many details to list, so hop over to 8Bar Bikes to check it out in detail.

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Readers’ Rides: John’s Northern Frameworks

Bikes change from when you first receive them. This is especially the case with custom bikes. John submitted this Northern Frameworks flat bar gravel bike when he first collected it from Angry Catfish and then sent a follow-up after he put some miles on it. Check out this unique custom rig below for this week’s Readers’ Rides…

Reportage By: Rugile Kaladyte, Lael Wilcox, & Evan Ruderman

The Westfjords Way: Bicycle Touring One of Iceland’s Most Remote Areas – Part 03

There’s a place to get soup at the halfway point. We’ll stop there. They might have some dried fish and rugbraud to pack for dinner– traditional Icelandic bread; dark, dense, and sweet. In the past, the locals dug holes and used the heat from geothermal water to bake the bread. We pack a sandwich to go, throw a leg over the top tube and let the wind carry us down the way. When the wind is your friend, there’s no feeling like it.

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Mosaic Drops the Mic with the New 29×2.25 GT-X Gravel and Adventure Bikes

Mosaic has added two new frameset models to their G-Series lineup of gravel and adventure bikes. The GT-1X and GT-2X are two new Mosaic framesets for riders seeking a big tire, off-road capable titanium adventure bike. Both GT-X frames are designed around a 29×2.25 tire, a gravel-specific or MTB drivetrain, and a geometry that incorporates a longer top tube and shorter stem, allowing the rider to set up their GT-X in a drop bar or flat bar configuration. The addition of optional frame bag and accessory mounts, as well as rack and fender mounts, make the GT-X capable of all-season, all-terrain exploration.

The GT-1X utilizes Mosaic’s top-of-the-line, double-butted titanium tubeset. Custom geometry and a rider-specific tubeset are included as “standard” options on GT-1X, making it a truly custom build. The GT-1X is offered in the rider’s choice of Mosaic Paint Layout or the Mosaic Factory Finish.

The GT-2X utilizes Mosaic’s simpler straight gauge titanium tubeset. The GT-2X is offered in 7 stock sizes from S-XXL, with custom geometry available as an upgrade. The GT-2X is finished in Mosaic’s standard raw finish, with available upgrade options to a Mosaic Paint Layout or the Mosaic Factory Finish.

Every GT-X adventure bike is built to order and finished in Mosaic’s Boulder, Colorado facility. Orders can be placed through a Mosaic dealer, and frames carry a 12 week lead time from the date that the details are confirmed, the order is signed off and put into the build queue.

See more at Mosaic.

Radar By: Speedvagen

Speedvagen: Titanium Ichico Blast and Ingrid Rugged Road Package

If there is one thing this year has taught us, it is that we need to embrace the alternative now more than ever. With a parts shortage and global pandemic, this year has tossed all it had at us. Instead of going silent and resting on what we have built, we decided to push harder and be more creative than ever, launching a bike every single month, despite these challenges. This led us to full year of trying new parts, new finishes, and having more fun, which is what this is supposed to be all about right?…

Reportage By: Paul Component Engineering

the 2021 Sierra Nevada Brewing Co and Paul Component Engineering Sierra Trail Chasers Benefit SBTS and SORBA

It’s no secret that Pale Ale is Paul from Paul Component Engineering’s favorite beer, and this will be our 4th year collaborating on a custom bike for Sierra Nevada Brewery to show off at Sea Otter and give away to a lucky winner. This year we decided to raise the bar by building up TWO bikes, and using them to help out two of our favorite trail stewardship!

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Wren Sports: Beefcake Carbon Gravel Adventure Fork

Wren Sports just announced the pre-order for their new Beefcake carbon adventure fork, designed for gravel bikes. The Beefcake has a 425mm axle to crown, with ample clearance for either a 27.5 x 3″ or 29 x 2.6″ tire. Its retail is $499.99 for the base fork or $549.98 for a 12mm thru-axle conversion kit. The pre-order is open now with an end of October delivery date.

Specs:
Material: Fully hand laid, aircraft grade carbon monocoque
Fits Wheels: 27.5 x 3.0, 29 x 2.6
Axle: 15 mm thru-axle standard. Optional 12 mm thru-axle kit available
Axle Material: 7075-T6 premium alloy
Hub: 100 mm
AC: 425 mm, plenty of room to clear mud and snow
Offset: 42 mm
Steer Tube: Tapered, 266 mm long
Post Mount: 160 mm standard, can run up to 203 mm rotor with adapter
Finish: Matte black with full color Beefcake logo on crown and gloss black Wren logos on each leg.
Weight: 770 grams

See more at Wren!

Reportage By: Rugile Kaladyte, Lael Wilcox, & Evan Ruderman

Cycling Westfjords Way: Bicycle Touring One of Iceland’s Most Remote Areas – Pt 01

Wind in your face, wind at your back, pockets of light, sideways rain, hot springs, wild blueberries, glaciers, Arctic fox, sheep laying on the thermally heated roads, waffles and whip cream– this is the Iceland I’ve seen from the bike and we’ve only been here for three days. I’ve heard about a volcano erupting in the past year, polar bears floating on ice from Greenland to the north coast of the Island in the past ten years and a pregnant cow that swam 2km across a fjord to escape the slaughterhouse. The substance of legends, these stories are actually true. This place is dynamic. Volcanoes and lava create new land. The wind and rain create new lakes. This place is constantly changing and you feel it while you ride through it.

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The BMC URS Aluminum AL One

The BMC URS AL ONE is the most affordable in the URS line at $2,599, which saves hundreds over the URS ONE carbon chassis model ($2,999). What’s interesting about the two models is the aluminum URS has a slightly different geometry, due to the tubing used and the URS AL ONE has a size XS available. Check out all the details at BMC.