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Prior to Sunday’s announcement here on the Radavist about Crust Bikes taking a breather to reorganize, I set up a date to shoot Kris’ Evasion Lite. Kris had just picked his build up from Sincere Cycles where Bailey spent time selecting the right components for his budget, while not skimping on functionality…
Last year in May 2019 Dan and I left Santa Monica, CA on a cold rainy day to start pedaling to New York. Dan had this goal of riding across the country a few years ago after we had done some shorter bike touring trips together. I didn’t want to do this ride at all when he initially brought it up.
A modern-day homage to the fabled Bridgestone X0-1, the XOXO is an accessible replica of the highly-desired, very rare touring bike. Handsome didn’t just knock off the XO-1, they updated the tubing, paint, and more, all for $699 for a frame or $1,249 for a complete.
There’s a lot of information to unpack, so head to the Kickstarter page to read all about it.
A little while back, our friends at Swift Industries worked with Kona to create a collaboration Rove ST Special Edition touring bike. If you recall this project’s release, it looked really appealing for those wanting a classic touring bike package with bags and everything, ready to hit the road.
My bud Kyle Klain picked one of these up from the Broken Spoke here in Santa Fe when they first dropped. It’s been his bikefishing mobile and commuter before upgrading a few crucial components this year. To test out my new camera setup (more on that later) I met up with Kyle at his office and took his bike for a quick shoot…
The latest video from Bombtrack has all the vibes!
“Matty has bikepacked plenty of times in Europe and Australia and has passionately shared his infatuation for riding with me. I was fairly new to this way of life and adventure but excited to share this experience on my first bike-packing trip overseas. More than a year of travel ahead and a one-way flight to Oslo, Norway was the beginning of the unknown. The trepidation of leaving our family, friends and jobs behind was tempered by the excitement of the new challenges we would soon be facing. Add to this a strong emotional link to Matty’s Grandfather, Bob, who had cycle toured Scandinavia in the 1950’s, we felt a powerful draw to this mountainous country to mark the beginning of our world trip. There was also the challenge of tracking down the same locations Bob had captured on an old film camera, recently uncovered in a dusty photo album.
The film documents our daily trials and tribulations, from strong headwinds, torrential rain, the odd argument and uncontrollable happiness as we attempted to re-trace the pedal strokes of Matty’s Grandfather. Maybe, we dared to think, even recreate one of his images and come to find his ‘Lost Captures’…” – Clare Nattress
Many framebuilders and bike companies approach cargo capacity by relying on third-party racks, which is fine and all but when a company designs specific cargo solutions, it causes pause. Trek did it with their 1120+ touring bike and now Mason Cycles turns it up a notch with their new InSearchOf steel touring bike model, featuring the Condensor Rack. Yet the most clever innovation here is this beautiful load-bearing front mudguard/fender. Not every ride requires cargo bags but plenty of rides, especially this time of year, require the constant shedding and switching of layers. This fender can hold a jacket (or a hoagie, burrito, muffin, etc), with the addition of ski straps.
You can read all about the Condensor Rack at Mason Cycles and see the new ISO models there too!
During the pandemic, bike shops have seen a surge in business, and with this growing popularity of two-wheeled machines, we’re stoked to see non-profits benefiting from the bicycle boom. Mitchell and Matt recently opened Two Bikes, a non-profit in Knoxville, TN. For this week’s Readers’ Rides, we take a look at Mitchell’s Rivendell Hunqapillar, with an interesting backstory…
Available in both a 275 (pictured) and a 28 (700c) model, the new Tout Terrain GT II is a gravel bike with a Pinion Gearbox. These frames have provisions for a rear rack, front fork cargo bosses, come in sizes M-XL, and have a geometry that is designed for all-rounder usage. Head over to Tout Terrain to see more on the Scrambler GT II.
The Golden State Skyline is a human-powered, self-supported linkup of all fifteen 14,000’ peaks in California, stretching from Mt. Shasta in the Cascades to Mt. Langley, the southern tip of the Sierra. Along with my friends Jonny Morsicato and Charlie Firer, followed by film crew Colin Rex and Nick Smillie, I set off to complete the Golden State Skyline on August 14. Our planned route covered 800 miles by bike, 100 miles on foot, and 100,000 feet of vertical gain, including technical difficulties up to 5.9. But life had other plans…
The Standard Rando is Twin Six’s flagship do it all drop bar bike. Tour, gravel, commute, ride road, whatever on this versatile bike. Build it with 650b or 700, buy a frameset or a complete, and now, you’ve got one more color to choose from if the lastolive drab release wasn’t your style. This limited edition color is available now from Twin Six in a frameset ($700) or complete ($1950), so hop on over to Twin Six and check it out.
For decades, Brooks saddles have been a staple on touring bikes, and today, Brooks has just widened their scope for bicycle portage with the SCAPE lineup.
These bags are for the cyclo-tourist, long-distance gravel rider, and bikepacker alike with panniers, saddle packs, handlebar packs, frame bags, and more.
There’s a lot to unpack so head to Brooks to see the full spread.
Fairlight’s touring bike chassis the Faran got a major update earlier this year and just recently, the Faran 2.0 has begun shipping.
For some mouth-watering touring bike images, head to Fairlight to check out the build option examples of the new Faran 2.0, including this one with Restrap touring bags.
While I can’t recall when the seed of this idea was planted, by early spring our plan to escape the reality of 2020 by riding from San Francisco to San Diego was beginning to take root. The year had started upbeat as I’m sure is the case for most people at the beginning of most years, but before long it took a hard turn in the other direction. Starting with a whiplash-inducing breakup that led to moving back to my parents’ house outside of Denver; those events seem small now in the context of everything that followed. As Covid 19 swept the planet and most of humanity began to shelter in place, our collective grief and anxiety began to feel like the status quo. As the days passed at a glacial pace (that was somehow simultaneously lightning fast), the snow in Colorado melted and this idea began to sprout as the earth began to thaw. At the same time, my best friend was dealing with his own lockdown situation down in Baja. Lorenzo had moved down to Ensenada late in 2019 to open a Gelato place (appropriately named “El Gelato”) and was absolutely killing it in the gelato game, helped in no small part to being probably the only gelateria in all of Baja. But when Covid hit, it hit hard and the dusty little town he was calling home completely shut down. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, I started receiving regular text messages from him about riding away from all this bullshit.
The Polyvalent is Velo Orange’s do-it-all; gravel, commuter, tourer, you name it. These frames have a rather large and generous tire clearance. It will fit 650b x 48 or 26 x 2.3” (smooth tires) with fenders. Without fenders, the Polyvalent will fit a 650b x 2.1” or 26×2.3 (knobby).
This new model features a “Low Kicker” top tube, making it easier to dismount when the bike is loaded, offers an easier exit for those with limited flexibility, and make the bike more comfortable in urban environments where there are multiple stoplights or stop signs.
See the full specs and details at Velo Orange.
One of the joys this website has brought me over the years is helping out small companies jettison their products into the world. From component manufacturers, apparel brands, frame builders, and yes, bag makers, there’s something special about watching a brand bloom over time and having been a part of that process. Last week, I met this fella named Jeff at Sincere Cycles where he showed me a new prototype bag he’s developing under the moniker Agave Products called the Arroyo Backpack.
Jeff and Agave are based in Austin, Texas, my old stomping grounds, and so this project plucked at my heartstrings a bit. Read on for a more in-depth look at the Arroyo Backpack…
It’s amazing what a single night in the woods with friends can do for one’s psyche… This new video from Kona has all the vibes from a S24O.
Restrap pulled together a quick video showcasing some tips to prepare for winter touring…
We’ve featured Cari’s Elephant National Forest Explorer before, back in 2016, and yet every time it pops up in our social media here at the Radavist, people request an updated feature…
