The Radavist

To spice it up for fall, Sim Works have released the Homage tire in a 700c x 43mm and 26″ x 1.95″ size run. These tires look so good in person, so if you’ve been looking for something new to roll on this fall, be sure to check them out. They’re in stock for $62 each at Sim Works USA.

Honjo, the company that makes Rene Herse fenders in Japan, has improved their process for making black fenders. Prior to this improvement, the black coating would scratch easily, marring the finish but with these recent improvements, Rene Herse is now offering their full fender lineup in black. This includes the fluted, hammered, and smooth finishes. Head to Rene Herse to see their full offerings.

ULTRADYNAMICO Rubber Corp, founded by longtime cycle pals @ultraromance and @ultratradition, launches today with an effervescently-late summer tire aptly dubbed “Rosé”.  The Rosé comes in popular 650b x 47.99mm size, with an exotic and luxurious sidewall that is tubeless-ready, without seeping away all your sealant.

In May, ten riders headed to Japan for an adventure with the goal of raising money for cutting edge cancer cell and gene therapy research. “Shinrin-yoku” in Japanese means “forest bath”, referring to a walk in the forest soaking in nature and green light. We are all aware on some level of the restorative effect of going for a walk in the woods, but it took the Japanese to give it a specific word. Starting in Uguri, Japan, the team embarked on a six-day, unsupported tour from the town of Hamamatsu en-route to their finish in Tokyo. Along the way, they searched for inspiration and reflected while in the Japanese countryside, as they honor and remember the loved ones we’ve all lost to cancer. The goal: raise funds for the Alliance for Gene Cancer Therapy – the cutting edge of cancer research and our best hope for ending cancer forever.

Japan’s Blue Lug worked with Phil Wood to make a limited release of these rainbow anodized track hubs. These hubs come in 24, 28, or 32h drillings, feature titanium hub bolts, and are a Blue Lug exclusive. The hubset retails for ¥ 103,000, or approximately $950 USD. If you absolutely have to have these, Blue Lug does ship to the US and they currently have stock. Head to their web shop to see more!

A while back, Los Angeles-based CNCPT Team took the new Cannondale CAAD13 to Japan to rip around on the city streets. Here’s a quick video from the trip and be on the look out for more to come!

For those not wanting to go into the full commitment into the even large at size small 615mm Towel Rack bars, Crust Bikes worked with Nitto to manufacture a 560mm wide Shaka Bar. There are a few more differentiators, too. Including bar clamp. Shaka Bars are 31.8mm, Towel Rack bars are 26.0 and can be shimmed. The shape of the Shaka Bar is more traditional as well. Got any questions? Head to Crust to see more information and to sign up for an alert when these are in stock!

Without sacrificing the feel of René Herse tires’ supple casing, the team has developed endurance casings for many of their offerings, including the popular Juniper Ridge model. This casing, along with the new Hurricane Ridge 700x42mm Endurance Plus tire – a tire used by Ted King during the Dirty Kanza, round out a very plump tire lineup for the brand, including 700C x 38 mm Steilacoom Endurance, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Standard, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Extralight, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Endurance, 700C x 42 mm Hurricane Ridge Endurance Plus, 650B x 48 mm Juniper Ridge Endurance. See more at René Herse.

BQ editor Natsuko Hirose takes us around the Izu Peninsula for this short web edit. See the full piece in the current Bicycle Quarterly.

Mountain biking in Japan is a relatively new sport. The rules for riding on singletrack aren’t really well established, yet that is changing.

While I’ve toured throughout Japan, there’s one thing I’ve yet to do there and the latest from the 50to01 gang has me pining for it even more now!

If you’re lookin’ to blacken out your track bike’s drivetrain, check out the newest collaboration with San Francisco’s Mash, who teamed up with Japan’s Izumi on three new chains. Offered in all black (pictured,) black with silver bushings, or black with gold bushings. Check out more at Mash SF.