This year’s Philly Bike Expo coverage over here is going to be a bit different. John was supposed to attend but two freak storms hammered Santa Fe Thursday and Friday, cancelling his flights and his re-booked flights. Luckily, our friend Brad Quartuccio was on hand to document a few bikes for us. The first builder we’re featuring is Kris from 44 Bikes, who displayed his current version of the Snakedriver full-suspension 29er…
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Radar
Scarab Cycles Paramo Integrated and New Wolf Tooth Headset
Colombia’s Scarab Cycles announced a new model today, dubbed the Paramo Integrated. This model expands the Paramo family of gravel bikes and uses the ENVE IN-Route system with the ENVE Gravel IN-Route Fork and an all-new Wolf Tooth integrated headset. Let’s check it out below.
Radar
VIDEO: We’ve Got Lions – ONGUZA and Ben Ingham 2024 Launch
“We’ve got Lions!” Dan Craven’s Namibian handmade bicycle brand, ONGUZA, announces a collaboration with photographer Ben Ingham. ONGUZA was founded in 2020 by two-time Namibian Olympic Road Cyclist and professional rider Dan Craven, and is part owned by the company’s Namibian master framebuilders Sakaria Nkolo and Petrus Mufenge.
Radar
Mosaic Cycles: GT-1 i45 and New Artist Series Finish Scale
Making its debut alongside the new GT-1 i45, another integrated version of a Mosaic gravel model is Artist Series No.6 – Scale. Designed, prototyped, and painted by Mosaic founder Aaron Barcheck, Scale is a creative and unique spin on the Mosaic Knockout layout using a randomized, stamped paint technique.
Reportage
Hey, Sweet Bikes: A Visit to Sour Bicycles in Dresden, Germany
Over the last couple of years, our European correspondent Petor Georgallou has gotten to know Sour Bicycles, a small East German bike company who are trailblazing in their mix of domestic framebuilding in Dresden and continued importation of Taiwan-made bikes. Read on to hear about the unique conditions that have made the former states of East Germany a hotbed of innovation and manufacturing in Europe, as well as how a mega fail by Petor leads to the second of many shop visits in Germany.
Radar
This Custom Titanium Firefly Mini Velo Fits in a Rimowa Case
If we won the lottery, there would be signs! A customer commissioned Firefly to make a coupled titanium mini bike to fit inside a Rimowa case for easy travel with a bike. This sort of bike is peak custom, so we had to get a closer look…
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Kris from 44 Bikes’ Personal 140 mm Ti SS MTB
Long live single-speed mountain bikes! And with a titanium bike, you know it’s going to live a long time. Some say they’re immortal, even. Kris from 44 Bikes sent over another one of his beautiful personal builds for a very special Readers’ Rides today, so let’s get to it!
Radar
Mosaic Cycles GT-1 iAR Integrated All Road
Mosaic Cycles just announced an integrated version of its popular GT-1 AR, dubbed the GT-1 iAR. This new platform utilizes ENVE’s In-Route integrated cockpit and an increase in tire clearance. Check out more below.
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
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Ricky’s Black Sheep Klunker
Ricky, aka @shaquille_owheel, has one sweet Black Sheep Klunker, with an incredible story. Ricky penned a killer Readers’ Rides for us this week, so let’s get to it!
Radar
Don’t Miss Paul Brodie’s Bicycle Show at First Light Frames
A Vancouver framebuilding legend is having a showcase to commemorate all he’s done for the wonderful creation that is the bicycle…
Radar
Introducing Buena Onda Bikes
Our friend and contributor Colt Fetters, along with partner Mark Gomez, are launching a bike brand today! Buena Onda Bikes is based in Durango, CO building titanium bikes in small batches. Below, Colt provides an overview of Buena Onda and shares a few important details about the brand including their “community supported bicycle” model, local builder John Siegrist, and their first offering which is a versatile titanium hardtail…
Reportage
Sueños de Colombia: Scarab Cycles Paramo Ultra Gravel Bike Review
The Paramo Ultra from Colombian bicycle builders Scarab Cycles is arguably the brand’s most versatile offering. With clearance for thicc tires, sliding dropouts, and comfortable geometry, the Paramo Ultra is inspired by the unrelenting high-elevation Andean mountain terrain where Scarab is based to provide a capable ride experience in even the most demanding pursuits. And because every Scarab is built to order based on a rider’s size, discipline, and style, no two builds are ever the same.
Josh has ridden a Paramo Ultra for the past six months both in Colombia where it was made and on his local roads and trails around the Sonoran desert. Below, he shares his thoughts on the build as well on Scarab’s overall approach to fabricating custom bicycles in the mountains outside Medellín…
Radar
Enigma EXPLOR Flat Bar Touring Bike
Enigma is a UK framebuilder, founded in 2006, that has won various accolades over the years, including NAHBS awards. We’ve featured the brand before, albeit briefly, in our Limited Edition Shimano Silver GRX build showcase. Enigma’s EXPLOR platform features a geometry adapted specifically for flat bars, with lots of touring accouterments like plentiful rack, fender, and cargo mounts…
Radar
Moots Unveils a Brand New 2024 Vamoots 33 Disc Road Bike
When you consider that a lot of Moots’ bikes run for well over the $11,000 mark, a brand new, electronic shifting disc brake Moots doesn’t seem that bad at $7,499. The Vamoots 33 is as entry-level as Moots will get without sacrificing what makes a Moots a Moots: the welded in house frame constructed from US made titanium. This build joins the long legacy of the Vamoots family of road bikes from Moots. A bit of DNA from each model that has come before it has played a part. Tip of the hat to Vamoots, Vamoots SL, Vamoots RSL, Vamoots Disc RSL and even the more recently Vamoots CRD and Vamoots RCS.
The Vamoots 33 is priced competitively with other manufacturer’s high end carbon road bikes but will last a lifetime and is made in the Rockies.
See more at Moots.
Radar
Build Your Own Bike with Quirk Cycles in the UK!
Bicycle framebuilding is one of the greatest achievements in human history. With your hands and some materials, you can build a completely sustainable form of transportation that can last for lifetimes. Cherishing this art and utilitarianism, many experienced builders open their workshops up to participants to learn this craft and the lastest we’ve come upon is Rob Quirk from Quick Cycles in the UK. Read on for more information!
Reportage
Like a Fine Wine: Wende Cragg’s Custom 1983 Breezer Series III
Wende Cragg’s contributions to cycling and her documentation of the sport over the years are unquantifiable. And here at The Radavist, we’ve been fortunate to have her sharing snapshots of that history, from her moving piece about the origins of mountain biking, to her return to Crested Butte last year for the Pearl Pass Tour after a forty-two-year hiatus.
Wende is back today to share another special story we think you’ll thoroughly enjoy. This time, Wende pens an ode to her custom 1983 Breezer Series III built for her after multiple ill-fitting predecessors (including one of the ten original Breezer Series I). To top it off, she enlisted Joe Breeze to share a few insights about her one-of-a-kind bike and the general evolution of early Breezers. Let’s get right to it below!
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Jan from True Love Cycles’ Roadkill All Road
Sometimes our weekly Readers’ Rides posts are repurposed, vintage MTBs turned into commuters and other times, framebuilders showcase their latest personal bikes. Today we have Jan from True Love Cycles in Warsaw showcasing his “Roadkill” All-Road bike, which also happens to be for sale… This one’s a stunner so let’s get to it!