The Radavist

Paul Sadoff is a character. His personality has a patina. One that’s formed over years of racing pedigree and loud music. The name of his company was derived by the B-52’s billboard hit but before Paul would name his brand Rock Lobster, he had to have built a MTB first. “I couldn’t call it Rock Lobster if I didn’t have a MTB” Paul said when asked about the origins of his namesake… Then he built a MTB and the world changed for the frame builder.

The logo was even derived from MTB riding. Those blocks holding the letters represent rubble falling down the trail as you’re riding…

His frames have always been some of my favorite in the industry. These no-nonsense bikes are straight-forward, tig-welded masterpieces. Yes, utilitarian art – I’m standing by that phrase. Paul builds each frame in an industrial building within the Santa Cruz city limits. His own space is literally littered with cycling memorabilia from the past twenty years (even longer?) and is a gold mine of interestingness.

From track to TT, each of Sadoff’s frames bear some uniqueness and have a story to tell. Even the various crash-replacements…

While I was in town for the Giro #SantaCruzEffect, our group of 10 journalists swung through Rock Lobster to see Paul and his space. It was probably one of the most rushed Shop Visits I’ve done to date, but I managed to gain some understanding as to how Paul works and what makes Rock Lobster tick… Check out a narrated Gallery for more!

Man, I haven’t done a Shop Visit in some time. Thinking back at a few local bike shops I’ve been to in the past few months, two of my favorites were MTB shops. One of which was Topanga Creek Bicycles (which FYXO shot some great photos of) – I didn’t have my cameras and another, very different shop was My Mountain Melbourne.

As someone who’s recently rediscovered his love for XC and trail ripping, My Mountain was an all-you-can-eat buffet of radness. Well, as long as your wallet has enough clout. The owner, Tim, is not messing around. It was his Yeti SB95c that I was riding and that’s just the tip of the iceberg for the kinds of builds leaving his shop.

Tallboy LTC with full ENVE? Sure thing. Coming right up. Trek ProjectOne SuperFly with XX-1? You got it.

The world of high-end MTBs is just out of most of our grasps, but that’s not what makes a shop rad. My Mountain sponsors local racers, events and has an extensive demo fleet. They’re a new shop, so infill is coming in slowly, but right now, it looks like there’s a lot of potential in this space.

Check out more in the Gallery!

To visit Gene and the crew at One on One is to visit a mountain bike museum of sorts. Gene used to race for Bridgestone back in the 80’s. His many bikes line the walls and ceilings of this mecca for dirt heads in the midwest and beyond. But One on One is much more than a MTB specific shop, it’s a cultural hub in Minneapolis, an icon of urban cycling and for many, a local bike shop. Add in a coffee shop and cycling memorabilia to the mix and you’re bound to spend some time walking up and down the space over and over again.

I spent a lot of time at One on One talking to Gene and Cars are Coffins-founder Hurl. Those two guys are some of the most sincere pedal-philes I’ve met. If you live in Minneapolis and haven’t been by, you should! If you’re nice, maybe Gene will let you into the basement. Don’t worry, it’s not that creepy…

While I was there, I shot a few photos in the shop, check them out in the Gallery!

The Urban Cycling Hall of Fame committee met last week in Chicago to select the first year’s inductees, as well as next year’s board. I still can’t believe I was in Chicago for two full days and only got to pedal around for an afternoon. But hey, work is work and sometimes I fly into a city without getting to fully emerse myself in it. There are dozens upon dozens of rad shops I wanted to check out but didn’t have time. Even though we only went to one shop, I have to say, I’m pretty stoked on visiting this one in particular.

Cycle Smithy has so much eye candy hanging from the walls and ceiling of their space. It’s overwhelming and was totally unexpected, mostly because I had never heard of the shop before. With the short amount of time we had there, I managed to shoot a few (quick) detail photos of this Cinelli Laser pursuit track. It’s a bit of an odd-bird build, with a mix of Italian and Japanese components (that seatpost) but I’m not complaining. Nor was FYXO. I wish it wasn’t raining so I could have taken it a block or so away to shoot better photos but this is what I got.

Check out more photos in the Gallery!