Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
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Northbound to Bayanzurkh: Autumn on the Mongolian Steppe
With warning signs that sandal season has officially closed in Mongolia, Ryan Wilson high-tails it through a 600-kilometer leg of riding to reach his last stop of the journey. But while much of this trip has found him wondering at the vastness of the steppe, this closing section shows a different side of the country. Read on for Ryan’s final (for now) account of riding in Mongolia…
Radar
Help Ryan Wilson Replace His Stolen Gear By Buying His Prints
As we shared last week in our Roundup, Ryan Wilson was mugged in Colombia and the thieves took his camera, laptop, and more. Ryan is currently raising money by selling some of his most famous images on Darkroom. Head on over to see his wonderful work and if you can, buy some of his prints. We’re working on aiding Ryan but this will help kickstart his efforts in replacing his stolen property.
Radar
Radar Roundup: Made in CO Bladder, Sqweeb V4, Ned Gravel, Full Metal Fenders, New Cotic, e-Danny, and Astana Rap
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Reportage
Touring Turkey’s Lycian Coast
From the comforts of the coastal city of Antalya, I took to the surrounding hills for short rides between the abundant days of rain that come with the wet season in this region. Turkey had imposed significant covid restrictions for the first time since I was in the country, including full weekend curfews, so this gave me plenty of time to plan out what kind of route would still be possible when the situation improved. Accepting sudden changes in plans and having some patience has always been important for bike touring and that is especially true these days.
Radar
The Radavist 2021 Calendar: July
“Kyrgyzstan” is the seventh layout of the Radavist 2021 Calendar. It was shot with a Sony A7RII and the Sony 70-300 lens in Kyrgyzstan.
“Ryan Wilson once again graces our monthly calendar with two photos from his travels to Kyrgyzstan.”
For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2021 – July. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)
The mobile background this month is also from the same tour. Click here to download July’s Mobile Wallpaper.
Radar
The Radavist 2021 Calendar: April
“Taurus Mountains” is the fourth layout of the Radavist 2021 Calendar. It was shot with a Fuji X-T4 and a Fuji 18-135 lens in the Taurus Mountains, Turkey.
“Photographer and cyclo-tourist Ryan Wilson provided April’s calendar imagery, straight off his extensive tour throughout Turkey. Keep an eye on the Radavist for updates on his travels…”
For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2021 – April. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)
The mobile background this month is from this same mountain range. Click here to download April’s Mobile Wallpaper.
Reportage
Tumbleweed Bikes: Tumbleweed Prospector Review, 8 Months in Asia
I’ll be honest, the thought of a new bike is not something that really gets me terribly excited these days. The places it can take me and the people I will meet along the way? Definitely! But when a post pops up on this site or any of the other bike-related sites I visit that starts getting into new-fangled hub spacings or microscopic geometry tweaks and angles, my brain tends to glaze over and forcibly pushes my hand toward clicking on the next article. The things I look for when selecting a bike for my next big trip are based almost entirely on practicality and reliability. I just want a bike that I don’t have to think about.
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Split by the Panj: Riding Along the Tajik-Afghan Border
After our ride through the Bartang Valley, we arrived at the mighty Panj, a 921-kilometer long river that forms a significant portion of the border between Tajikistan and Afghanistan. Our next stretch of riding would take us along the river on the Tajik side for roughly 285 kilometers as we gradually climb through the lower Wakhan valley back up into the high Pamir mountains.
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Bike-Camping Along Michigan’s North Country Trail on the Bombtrack Beyond+ ADV
The North Country Trail
Way back in the mid-80’s I was born about 30 minutes outside of Detroit, Michigan. The area I was in did not exactly lend itself to cycling becoming a hobby at the time, so I really never became interested in bikes and the outdoors until I moved to California and found the mountains as an adult. Fast forward to 2020 when my plans to ride through far-flung mountains in Asia all summer came grinding to a halt along with everyone else’s lives, I found myself back in Michigan for an unknown period of time.
Radar
The Radavist 2020 Calendar: March
This is the third layout of the Radavist 2020 Calendar, entitled “Kyrgyzstan Badlands” shot with a Sony A7ii and a 24-70 lens in the Pamir Mountains, Kyrgyzstan.
“For March this year, we pinged Ryan Wilson to pick two of his favorites from his recent gallery here on the Radavist. See Ryan’s full gallery here.”
For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2020 – March. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)
The mobile background this month is also a favorite of Ryan’s. Click here to download March’s Mobile Wallpaper.
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Frostbite in January, Amputate in June: The Long Lost Lofoten Story
Author’s Note: This article was originally written almost 4 years ago, but was shelved after thinking I had lost a majority of the photos to a failed drive. After I managed to find many of the lost photos on an old SD card, I figured it was still worth sharing the last trip that inspired me to quit my job and travel the world by bike…
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Only Bread to Baetov: Food Poisoning in the Tian Shan Mountains
At 7am the alarm went off (feel free to cue up the “waves” ringtone on your iPhone to set the mood). We were in our cushy-ish hotel in Naryn city after having a couple of days off to rest. This is ALWAYS when it is hardest to pry yourself from the grips of city comforts. Knowing that we had more than a week between towns of any significance on the horizon only added to the challenge of getting moving.
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Dances with Kyrgyz Wolves
“You’re sleeping in a tent out there? Aren’t you worried about them?” a girl from Kyrgyzstan’s capital city who was enjoying a weekend trip to the local favorite Song-Kul lake asked us. I thought to myself wondering what she might be referring to. After a moment she realized our confusion and clarified… “The Wolves”.
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If Only They Could All Be Arabel: Living and Riding in Central Asia
We arrived in the Kyrgyz city of Karakol in what has become a familiar state after a stretch in the wilderness… tired, hungry, desperate for a shower, and in need of clean clothes. It’s true that civilization never feels better than when you’ve been away from it for a handful of days, and for us, the timing was perfect to reset and not think about the bike or riding for at least a moment.
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From the End of the Road to the Kyrgyz Silk Road
Three years ago when I was tossing around the idea of a long-term bikepacking trip, I had two primary options on my mind. There was Peru and the Andes of South America, which I had a tiny bit of familiarity with given my short previous stint there, and then the wild card… Kyrgyzstan. A small former Soviet country dotted with lakes and covered in glaciated peaks as tall as 24,400 feet. With a rich nomadic history due to its place on the ancient Silk Road trading route that passed through from neighboring China, it makes for an ideal locale to load up your bike and get lost in the mountains. So even while I was still in Patagonia, I was scouring maps of Central Asia for the possibilities that awaited in the faraway lands of the Kyrgyz Republic.
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The End of the Andean Road
When I started this trip through South America almost 3 years ago I had no idea what to expect. My bicycle “touring” experience could all be summed up in a tumultuous three week trip to Perú where I spent half of the time with my head hovering over a toilet while suffering from typhoid and a quick one week trip through Norway that resulted in an emergency room visit with frostbite on my toes that still affects me today. I was working on roughly a 5% success rate. Would I quit my “stable job” of almost ten years only to head off into the Andes all by myself and realize that this just wasn’t my thing? Come crawling back a few weeks later, asking for a do-over? I honestly had no idea and these were extremely realistic possibilities in my mind. All I knew was that I’d regret it if I didn’t try.
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The Carretera Austral and the Bush Plane
The Carretera Austral is without a doubt South America’s bicycle touring capital. No place on this continent sees a higher influx of Ortlieb-clad folks from around the world looking to enjoy Patagonia’s natural wonders. With good reason too. There’s a more advanced tourist infrastructure, bringing more luxuries from back home more frequently along the way (toilets and hot showers are cool). The challenge-to-scenery ratio along the Austral is also extremely generous, and the road surface suits just about any bike you can strap a few bags to. You don’t have to suffer too much to have a good time in nature here.