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VIDEO: Eco Hack! Saving the Mojave Desert Tortoise from Extinction

John and Cari have spent countless hours in the Mojave Desert and cataloged desert tortoises, Gopherus agassizii, on a few trips, for the Mojave National Preserve. These unique desert reptiles were officially listed as a threatened species in 1990. While the herpetological organizations studying them have made great progress in educating the public about their presence and role in the Mojave Desert, there is still a way to go.

What if, to protect one species, you had to slightly annoy another? Watch this exciting documentary project from The New Yorker.

*Editorial note: picking up a desert tortoise is highly illegal. In doing so, the animal will often release its urine and water stores and will often times die afterward due to dehydration. Many desert animals get their water from eating plants in the form of terrestrial cacti and flowers, which can take weeks to gather after leaving their winter burrows. If you encounter a desert tortoise crossing a road, be it a dirt road or highway, please give it space and allow it to make the journey by itself…

A Favor: Could you Please Subscribe to The Radavist on YouTube?

Radar

A Favor: Could you Please Subscribe to The Radavist on YouTube?

We’d like to interrupt this holiday here in the States with a simple request for the readership. Would you kindly take a few seconds to Subscribe to our YouTube channel? It is free and only takes a second. We had to rebuild our channel after The Radavist returned to being independent once again and it’s taking a while to build up our subscribers again.

You can do so by simply clicking the button below.

 

 

Why do we need this? Well, we have a few VERY LARGE projects coming out and the more subscribers we have ensures the more people will see these projects. We’ve invested multiple years and tens of thousands of dollars on these videos, so we’re hoping to get the most out of dropping them on our YouTube.

We also have a great deal of smaller YouTube videos dropping this year, so any and every sub helps!

It’s not easy being independent media but y’all are really the best audience we could ask for.

Thank you!

Check out some of our favorite videos below!

Obscura: A Fuji GW690ii Camera Review

Reportage

Obscura: A Fuji GW690ii Camera Review

As much as The Radavist is about bikes, it is also intrinsically linked to cameras and film photography. There is even a whole category of strictly film galleries called Recent Roll that dates back to 2010! We take pride in our photography so it makes sense for us to feature some of our favorite cameras in a series we’re calling Obscura.

This is a reference to the first-ever photographic device, the camera obscura.

Kicking off this series is Kyle Klain, who has a review of his Fuji GW690ii. Fans of film photography will know of this quirky system, so read on to hear Kyle’s take on what makes the Fuji so unique and so maddening at the same time…

Alexandera Houchin Has Left Chumba Cycles

Radar

Alexandera Houchin Has Left Chumba Cycles

Our good friend Alexandera Houchin has parted ways with Austin, TX framebuilders Chumba Cycles after five years of being a sponsored athlete, as announced on the brand’s Instagram. We’re not at liberty to talk about her new sponsor quite yet but wanted to alert the readership and direct them to Chumba Cycles’ Instagram for a heartfelt photo collage and official statement.

You can also read Alexandera’s extended thoughts by subscribing to her Substack

Check out John and Alexandera’s Chumba Beautiful Bicycles gallery in our archives:

Waaseyaa: It is Bright; Alexandera Houchin, Her Life, and Her Chumba Cycles Stella MTB

ANNOUNCEMENT: We’ve Refreshed The Radavist

Radar

ANNOUNCEMENT: We’ve Refreshed The Radavist

We’ve been working on this refresh for over nine months with two talented designers, Seth and Julian, as well as an equally talented developer, Ian. Together, we’ve fixed many issues with the platform’s backend, updated it to a new infrastructure, and paved the way for multiple website improvements.

While this initial launch might not seem like a big change, allow me to walk you through it.

Photo: Kyle Klain

Our Radar column has shifted back to the left column. This is how the website was pre-2016 refresh. Now, we’ll be slow-dripping products and videos on the left throughout the day. Radar = news blips.

The middle column is our endemic content. This is content we produce ourselves. All Reportage galleries; Shop Visits, Beautiful Bicycles, Events, and Reviews will be in the middle column. The center feed will also contain Radar reviews or reviews that don’t include a gallery.

On the far right is our ad columns; these ads, along with your Group Ride subscription, merch sales, sponsored content (when noted), and affiliate links (we’re working on a page to explain how we use all of these – thanks for your patience!) keep this website and its staff funded. Thanks for your support!

As with every refresh, there will be formatting issues or bugs that pop up from time to time. We have a checklist that’s running but if you spot anything awry, please note it here in the comments!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year from The Radavist

Radar

Happy New Year from The Radavist

We wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for visiting this little corner of the internet and wish you all a Happy New Year. Our team has been working on a lot of projects for 2024 and we’re elated to share them all with you in the coming months. Thanks to everyone for supporting The Radavist as we returned to being an independent website and here’s to 2024!

Group Ride Members Get 40% Off Radavist Merch This Weekend

Radar

Group Ride Members Get 40% Off Radavist Merch This Weekend

We’re not usually ones to do a sale or even a Black Friday sale, but this year, we wanted to thank everyone who signed up (and who will sign up this weekend) for our Group Ride subscription plan with a special 40% discount code for Radavist merch. This sale begins today and will end Monday at midnight MST.

If you signed up for our Group Ride, you should have received an email from our Newsletter account with the discount code attached. Check your spam folder! If you didn’t receive an email, drop a line at our Group Ride inbox with your subscription confirmation.

Thanks from everyone here at The Radavist!

The Ten Best Horror Films for Adventure Cyclists

Radar

The Ten Best Horror Films for Adventure Cyclists

Just like the rows of bagged candy at your grocery store, or the fountains of pumpkin spice latte at your coffee shop, you can’t escape Halloween once October hits. Not even here at The Radavist. Travis Engel has jumped on the spooky-season bandwagon with a list of scary movies (and one scary short film) that will strike a nerve for anyone who likes riding to the middle of nowhere…

Bike Hacks: Why Prism Reading Glasses are My new Favorite Bike Camping Accessory

Radar

Bike Hacks: Why Prism Reading Glasses are My new Favorite Bike Camping Accessory

One helpful tip for getting a good night’s sleep while bike touring is to mimic your home sleeping experience as closely as possible. Cotton pillowcases or fleece sleeping bag liners can ease your mind by tricking your body. But you should apply that logic to your entire pre-sleep ritual. Have some dessert, brush your teeth, and once you’re all tucked in, do some light reading. Travis Engel is here with a bike hack that may make that last part a little easier to do in the wild.

Pump It Down: Why Every Rider Can Benefit From Volume Spacers, and How to Use Them

Radar

Pump It Down: Why Every Rider Can Benefit From Volume Spacers, and How to Use Them

Before you even hit the parking lot to test ride a suspension bike, most shops will walk you through a careful sag and damping adjustment. But few of them will tell you that there is a whole other dimension of control inside your fork or shock’s air spring. By inserting or removing volume spacers, you can make your suspension more or less resistant to bottom-out. In turn, that may allow you to run more or less preload. This deceptively simple adjustment has gotten a reputation for being only for racers, or nerds, or nerdy racers. But Travis Engel believes everyone can benefit from volume tuning. So, he has this quick explainer on what it can do for you, and how you can try it for yourself.

A Milestone: Six Years Ago I Quit Drinking Alcohol – What I’ve Learned and How It Can Help You

Radar

A Milestone: Six Years Ago I Quit Drinking Alcohol – What I’ve Learned and How It Can Help You

Five years ago, I penned a post about abstaining from alcohol for six months. Then, eighteen months later, I followed up with a two-year anniversary piece that outlined my perspective on putting down the bottle… for good.

It’s now been six years since I had any alcohol. In that time, I’ve witnessed more discussions about cycling’s alcohol problem, so I wanted to write again about this subject where I’ll offer guidance on transitioning out of alcohol dependency, non-alcoholic drinks I’ve found to be helpful, and resources you can use to help on this journey…

All-City Cycles is Closing

Radar

All-City Cycles is Closing

A few shops have sent this into our editorial team today and we felt like the cat’s out of the bag after months of whispers. This news is sad, as The Radavist has featured so many of All-City‘s products over the years via custom builds and product launches. We’ve long been a fan of the company and as always, it’s a big bummer to see a steel-focused company shutter its doors.

The brand will no longer develop products after 2024 and will be retired in a few years. Check out the full email that QBP, All-City’s parent company, just sent to its dealer network below, edited for public visibility…