The Radavist

Rezduro takes place in the remote community of Hardrock, Arizona which is located on the Black Mesa plateau/region on the Navajo Nation. What started out as a vision by Nigel James and friends has turned into the first and only Indigneous-led mountain bike enduro race. Nigel James dreamed of bridging his grandparents’ sheep herding trails with his passion for mountain bike enduro racing as a result, Rezduro was born…

Vintage bikes have always had a home on The Radavist. From shooting Sky’s wonderful collection from Velo Cult, to showcasing stunners in Los Angeles, and basket bike/resto mod conversions in Austin, there’s something about these 26″ wheeled, friction shifting, hand-made beauts that have always caught my eye. Over the past year, there’s been an uptick in the number of vintage bikes we’ve showcased, in part because joining with The Pro’s Closet gave us access to TPC’s Museum bikes, a veritable treasure trove of exciting and influential builds to unpack. Each bike is an earmark in cycling history, each with its unique story to tell. Additionally, I have had the time and resources to work on such restoration projects for the first time in years.

This year, we’ve featured my 1982 Ritchey Tam and my 1984 Mountain Goat, representing what I love about the early 1980s mountain bike design. With flat top tubes, big tire clearance, friction shifting, and geometries still relevant today, the 1980s bikes were more geared toward exploration than the racing geometries the NORBA era brought about. I couldn’t buy one of these classics when I first started riding in the 90s (my first bike was a rigid Gary Fisher Tassajara), but I could always count of Mountain Bike Action and my local bike shop to keep the eye candy in steady supply. Since then, one elusive bike model has remained the apple of my eye: an early 90s Yo Eddy! When Mike Wilk wrote about TPC’s Grello Yo!, it made me nostalgic tailspin.

I casually reached out to Martin at Second Spin Cycles, who had just bought a big Fat Chance collection from out West. I asked if he had a Yo Eddy that would fit me and, as luck would have it, he did. But it needed some work…

“SoMo Sunset” is the ninth layout of the Radavist 2022 Calendar. It was shot with a Sony A1 and 70-200 lens outside on South Mountain, Phoenix.

“Stef McDaniel rides South Mountain in Phoenix, AZ on a very warm summer evening. Photo by Josh Weinberg.”

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2022 – September. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
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The mobile background this month is a vertical crop from this photo. Click here to download September’s Mobile Wallpaper.

The Ibis SS, or “setting sun” was a dirt drop mountain bike offered by the brand. These bikes were built by Ibis as a “semi custom” platform and featured the “LD” stem Scot Nicol designed in the 1980s. Thanks to Michael for sending this one in! Let’s check it out below.

Modern tech, bikes, and components were lost on me over the previous few years. Sure, I talk about all that here at “work,” but in my personal life, I have spent more time looking backward, not forward, with bikes. Maybe it was because all the major manufacturers wanted journalists (if I can even call myself that) to review new gear that wouldn’t hit consumers for another year or so. Or perhaps I felt like there was inherently more to learn from the past than new tech and its marginal gains mantra.

Having spent a lot of time curating a few vintage builds, re-evaluating my own stable, and pouring over old bike catalogs, there’s something about the aesthetic found in the 1980s and early 90s mountain bike components that hits the nail on the head. Be it the eeWings cranks, those nifty Cyber Cranks, or these Engin Cycles Port Royal cranks, what’s old is new again in terms of design silhouette.

When I first saw these cranks, I immediately felt like they were an homage to the first gen M700 Deore cranks by Shimano, which did in fact come in black. (Ritchey Commandos were specced with an all-black Deer Head group!) Yet, the thing I liked about them the most was the slim profile, 30mm spindle, and the fact that Engin Cycles, a framebuilder I hold in deep regard and respect for, machines these in Philly!

I’ve had the Engin Cycles Port Royal Cranks ($575) on my Starling Murmur for a while now and finally have some thoughts I can share with y’all, so read on below for a quick review…

Mountain Goat was one of the original MTB brands based out of Chico, California. A few weeks ago we looked at John’s 1984 Whiskeytown Racer, which prompted Kees to send in his 2008 Mountain Goat WTR, built by Jeremy Sycip for Mountain Goat. Let’s check it out below!

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

We’re huge fans of steel full suspension mountain bikes and it seems like framebuilders all over are embracing these simple, yet extremely capable bikes. Coming at us from Alberta, here’s Chris’ Kruch Custom Bicycles steel full suspension. Let’s check it out below.

Once the high country melts here in Santa Fe, it’s singletrack 24/7 in the Land of Enchantment. Santa Fe is a MTB town with trails accessible right from your front door. Because of this accessibility, I put a lot of miles on my gear in our summer season. I wanted to offer a quick rundown of some of my favorite new accessories and apparel items I’ve enjoyed over the past few months…