Readers’ Rides: Matt’s Relstone “Project VA” Custom Gravel Bike – Guy Stone & Scott Payne | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

Project VA is an annual project from Guy Stone of Relstone Cycles. Each year, Guy builds and donates a custom bike to a veteran, and this year, he fabricated a custom steel gravel bike for Matt. Check out the latest Project VA bike and all the amazing details below with photography from Scott Payne…

Project VA is my vision to use my bike-building skills to support veterans to find peace on two wheels. As a civilian, I do not know what it means to go to war. However, as a lifelong cyclist, I do understand the therapeutic benefits of a simple bike ride. I refer to the peace I feel while riding as my Happy Place. The goal of Project VA is to build custom bikes for veterans so they can find their own Happy Place. I just finished the third bike of what I hope will be many, and I have made a personal commitment to sponsor a veteran every year for as long as I can. This project will never reach large numbers of veterans, but for those sponsored, it has the potential to impact their lives.

This year’s recipient is Matt. Matt served in the Army for 15 years and continues to serve through the VA Medical Center. I know him from his work starting a Bike Share Program for veterans in Chillicothe, Ohio. Matt referred the first recipient of Project VA, Barry, to me several years ago. After working with Matt to build a bike for Barry, I knew that Matt would be a future recipient of Project VA. I didn’t know him very well, but what little I did know led me to believe that Matt would want other veterans to receive a bike before him. That’s why I asked Matt to wait a week before he gave me his answer. Matt’s need to pay it forward with his fellow veterans made him the perfect recipient for Project VA.

Matt requested a gravel bike for his favorite route through the rural coal-mining mountain roads that are common around his hometown in Chillicothe, Ohio. He also wanted something capable of taking on a multi-day bikepacking trip. When asked about the theme, Matt wanted a Cincinnati Bengal-themed bike due to his dad’s love of football. Matt’s only must was that his bike had to have his dad’s favorite punchline: “That’s what she said.” Matt told me stories about his dad making jokes to make everyone laugh. I ensured the saying was on the top tube so Matt could see it every time he rode his bike. My vision of the perfect bike for Matt was a silver brazed, lugged gravel bike with a second lugged bikepacking fork and custom direct mount frame bags.

A big part of Project VA is sharing my vision with contacts in the bike industry to sponsor a veteran’s bike with the materials and components they make. This not only helps me to make sure the recipient has the best complete bike for their needs, but it also gives others the opportunity to have a part in Project VA. This year’s sponsors:

Frame highlights include a fully lugged silver brazed Columbus HSS and Deda frame. During the fit session, Matt asked me what size his frame would be. I told him it would be “Matt sized” and unique to him. Matt is a rider who truly benefitted from a custom bike. His unique geometry required a custom handmade lug set. Lugs were made out of brazed 4130 steel. The lower head lug from Alex Meade Bikeworks was cut apart and bronze brazed back together to accommodate Matt’s unique frame geometry. The custom lugs were silver brazed to make Matt’s frame. Dropouts are flat mount from Paragon. In addition to a carbon fork, I made a custom lugged bikepacking fork with flat mount brakes and internal routing. Unfortunately, it was damaged the day before Matt took delivery. I will make Matt a new one and deliver it before the end of the year.

Component highlights include custom carbon wheels built by me with Pacenti gravel rims, tubeless tires, and premium hubs. The drivetrain is Sram Force XPLR. The brakes are Growtac Equal mechanical discs provided by Velo Orange. I can’t thank Pizza Box Designs and Dark Matter Finishing enough for their creative contributions. I shared my vision for Matt’s bike and gave them creative control over the bags and paint, and they both nailed it.

The purpose of Project VA is to provide the recipient with a great custom bike experience over the course of a year. I want to provide veterans with the best bike I can build for them and an experience that they won’t forget for the rest of their lives. This year Matt gave me more than I bargained for.

I am most comfortable quietly working in the background. Matt told me that I needed to get out of my comfort zone. He nominated me for my local news Salute to Heros. Fox19’s Ken Brown did an amazing job of putting together Matt’s story. I can’t thank him enough.

The greatest gift Matt gave me was that he invited me to go on his first ride on his new bike. Only a few days after Matt took delivery of his bike, we rode 140 miles over two days from the riverfront in Cincinnati to Matt’s hometown in Chillicothe. During our journey, we met so many interesting people, saw parts of the state that we had never experienced before, and had many great conversations along the way. Thirty miles into our journey, Matt told me that he had never ridden more than thirty miles in his life. I said, “Now you tell me!”

From a custom bicycle fabricator perspective, it was so awesome to see how a bike I designed and built helped Matt ride faster and farther in comfort than he thought he ever could. Matt’s family and friends rolled out the red carpet for me! I am especially grateful for his wife Jennifer and how hospitable she was.

One of the many conversations we had was about how I was going to take next year off from Project VA to make it more sustainable. I plan on using my accounting, tax, and finance knowledge to form a nonprofit to fund bicycles for veteran recipients. Matt helped me to come up with a new name. At the start of our ride, Matt reminded me that I told him, “I got your back.” Matt told me that every veteran knows the term, “Got your 6.” I hope to bring my project back, stronger and more sustainable than ever, under the name Got Your 6 in 2026.

Frame: Relstone Custom
Fork: Enve
Headset: Cane Creek
Stem: Thomson
Bars: Ritchey
Shifter: SRAM Force AXS
Derailleur: SRAM Force AXS
Cassette: SRAM Force
Chain: SRAM Force
Cranks: SRAM Force
Pedals: Time
Wheels: Pacenti Carbon
Tires: Kenda 4ttitude Pro
Brakes: Growtac Equal
Seatpost: Thomson
Saddle: Selle Royal

I feel so honored to have the opportunity to build this bike for a veteran and awesome person. I hope it provides many years of peace and enjoyment for Matt. Matt took an experience that was supposed to be all about him and found a way to include me too. I am honored that you allowed me to build your bike for you, Matt.