The Radavist

The Santa Rita Pricklypear, Opuntia santa-rita, is a brilliant magenta-colored cactus, specific to the Sky Islands of Southern Arizona. The Ruta Del Jefe gravel race traverses this magical mountain range and this unique opuntia are the inspiration for Shimano’s new RX800 gravel shoes in a “purple and green” colorway. Pulling inspiration from the natural world brings awareness to these delicate ecosystems and the Santa Rita Mountains are still under attack from mineral extraction companies. Find out more about the fight to save these mountains at Save the Scenic Santa Ritas and see more details of these beautiful shoes at Shimano.

Remember these? Well after watching NOS pairs fetch up to $900 on eBay, Shimano realized it might be time to re-issue the SD50 SPD sandals. So today, on the 25th anniversary of the SD50, Shimano has released a special edition model, SD-501A, in a unique colorway. Inspired by Shimano’s second-generation SPD sandals, the new SD-501A delivers a sleek, minimalistic design with a dark navy upper and special logo accents. These sandals are available now in sizes 38-48 for $130.

Head to Shimano to see more information and to your local dealer to see a pair in person.

Shimano‘s Deore lineup has been a staple for mountain bikers since the sport’s inception and this year, the new and improved Deore line has something for everyone. This release is broken down into three main tiers, M6100 12-speed, M5100 11-speed, and M4100 10-speed. There’s a lot to go through here, so continue reading for more details.

The clean lines of a modern touring bike are hard to resist and for this week’s Readers’ Rides, we look at Jouko‘s Brick Lane Bikes Hitchhiker build. These frames are capable beauties, with a solid Columbus Cromor tubeset spec. Check out more details of this classy and timeless build below.

Unknown Country explores the motivation behind Jake Wells’ life and cycling career. Unknown Country was directed by Justin Balog and produced by Mixed Media Machine for Shimano.

Shimano takes a look at trail builders in this new video, the true heroes of the sport.

Kona’s popular Libre DL all-road model has some changes in build spec for 2020. Most notably is the wheel package. The Libre DL now comes with 650b/27.5 wheels and a 2x Shimano GRX 800 drivetrain, giving this capable bike even more range. The Libre DL’s frame is made using Kona Race Light technology and is mated with an Easton carbon bar, Race Face carbon seatpost, Easton EA70 AX wheels and a Kona Verso Carbon touring fork. Retail for the complete build is set at $3999 with the frameset coming in at $1999.

-Frame Material: Kona Race Light Carbon
-Fork: Kona Verso Full Carbon Flat Mount Disc
-Wheels: Easton EA 70AX 650b
-Crankset: Shimano GRX 810
-Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 11spd
-Brakes: Shimano GRX 810 160mm front / 160mm rear rotor
-Seat Post: RaceFace Next Carbon
-Cockpit: Easton EC70AX bar/Easton EA90 Stem
-Front Tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Rear tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Saddle: WTB SL8 Pro

With five classes of Romax, Brodie’s do-it-all gravel bike model, ranging from the Comp for $2099, to the Carbon (pictured) for $3999, and many tiers of build kit and wheel options, Brodie’s offerings for these all-road bikes has something for everyone. The Romax has a steel, aluminum, and carbon frameset offerings, each with cargo bosses on the fork, clearance for plush and supple tires, and build kits ranging from 105 to GRX. There are just too many options to list, so head to Brodie to see the 2020 Romax for yourself.

Jamis’ Renegade received an update after being announced in 2016. With two new models, the C1 ($3,699) and C2 ($2,599), both competitively priced, the brand offers up two different carbon layup designs and the versatility of Shimano’s GRX component groups. This follows the trend we’re seeing this year with a lot of brands building their carbon gravel bikes with GRX.

While the C1 (in tan) has the better kit and layup (Omniad M30), the C2 (in grey) is over $1,000 cheaper and cuts cost with the more affordable layup (T700/FRP). Both frames have mounts for cargo and clearance for 40mm tires. See the full lineup at Jamis.

After Shimano licensed Chris King the design for Micro Spline earlier this year, the brand has ramped up production for these new drivers, with pre-orders beginning on January 15th for release on January 31st.

The King Micro Spline driveshell uses a new bearing and axle design making them their lightest ever ISO hubs. Micro Spline conversion kits will fit all ISO B Boost and ISO DH Superboost rear hubs. Available with either made-in-house stainless steel or ceramic bearings.

CONFIGURATIONS:
ISO B
148x12mm
24h, 28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings

ISO DH Superboost
157x12mm
28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings

Conversion Kits
Stainless Steel or Ceramic Bearings
148x12mm or 157x12mm

The Search XR is Norco’s flagship gravel bike and for 2020, the entire lineup got a facelift across all models with new ombré fade paint jobs and Shimano GRX build kits. The Search XR is available in a Reynolds steel frame, A6 aluminum, and carbon, offering a complete bike for just about any budget. Head to Norco to see the details.

3T continues to roll out pricing tier build kit options with their popular Exploro model. The latest news from the Italian manufacturers features options with Rival1, GRX, and the AXS Mullet kit, starting at $3599. Check out all the builds below.