At the end of each year, The Radavist contributor network compiles a list of their favorite products. This year, we’ve upped the ante to include our favorite products, rides, experiences, and more. Read on for John’s list from 2024…
My Favorite Products of 2024
Each year, a wave of new products comes through our inboxes here at The Radavist, and from that, we get to test but a fraction. The following products listed in alphabetical order left an impression for one reason or another…
Bruce Gordon Rock’n’Road Tubeless Tires $69
I’ve had a long-term relationship with the Bruce Gordon Rock ‘n’ Road tires. From my first Geekhouse Woodville build to my Firefly, they’re now on my Monster Cross, new Woodville, and a current review bike. The Rock ‘n’ Roads were arguably the first “gravel” tires, first debuted in 1988. Not many bikes could fit the 43 mm width of these plump tires. In a genius marketing move, this led Bruce Gordon to make bike frames specifically to pair with these fat(ish) tires.
The modern Rock ‘n’ Roads come in 43 mm and 48 mm widths in 650b and 700c diameters and are now tubeless compatible. After riding my Monster Cross throughout the year, I had a rekindling of love for these Panaracer-made tires. So, if you’re looking for a tire that rolls fast on paved roads but has seemingly endless traction on dirt, give them a go!
One note: after these tires plump out, they measure 45 mm and 52 mm (!!!!!), respectively, on 22 mm internal width rims, so be sure to measure your frame before ordering!
Read my 2016 review: Tried and True Tires: Bruce Gordon Rock N Road
BTCHN Ti Bullmoose $480
Flexy. Stylish. Made by a friend in Chico, California. I bought a BTCHN Ti Bullmoose from Tyler at the 2024 MADE Bike Show, and it has completely transformed my riding experience on my Murmur. The increase in backsweep, paired with the slightly longer extension, allows for some relief on my wrists.
The BTCHN Bullmoose bars come in an 800 mm width with a 50 mm extension, with 13° of backsweep, and weigh 493 grams. The titanium Tyler used in these bars is considerably flexier than the previous ti bullmoose bars from another manufacturer I had on the bike, and after long, harsh descents, my wrists notice the plusher ride feel. They’d be perfect on a rigid MTB, hardtail, or even a full-on trail bike like my Murmur.
Ergon Core Saddle for Gravel and Mountain Bikes $159.95
Another ergonomic component I fell in love with this year is Ergon’s Core MTB saddle. I was looking for something a little more supportive for longer days in the saddle, and a friend recommended that I try one out. Sincere Cycles had one in stock so I bought it on a whim and immediately took it on our Town to Towers ride.
The secret to the comfort is the saddle’s ability to rock side to side as you pedal, eliminating hot spots or rubbing entirely. I don’t wear a chamois or bibs shorts, so saddle fit and comfort are paramount for me, and sitting in for a 6,000′ elevation gain climb is a good place to put a new piece of kit to the test. These saddles are so comfy that I bought two more for my bikes and haven’t looked back.
Revelate Nook Bag $50
Filling your bike’s nooks and crannies with riding essentials was the acting inspiration behind Revelate’s Nook and Cranny bags. I found myself swapping this bag onto every review mountain bike I’ve had this year and am blown away by the bag’s carrying capacity. After a full year’s use, the bag barely showed any wear. I even bought another one from Sincere Cycles because I got tired of swapping it from bike to bike.
Read my full review: Revelate Designs Nook Frame Bag Review: Cram and Jam
Ridge Merino Pursuit UL Hoodie $71.96
I’m an ultralight sun hoodie freak and am always interested in testing out new-to-market items. I’d read good things about Ridge’s UL hoodie, and after being a devotee of their boxers, I decided to give it a try. What I like about it is the fit, which is true to size, and the hood, which fits under a helmet comfortably but isn’t overly loose and flappy. The light grey feels like it keeps our intense, 7200′ UV heat down (although the jury is still out whether the color of apparel matters), and it’s withstood a full season’s worth of riding without a tear or run.
Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Harness $200
I’ve never been a fan of bikepacking handlebar bags. I hated how they interfered with cables, always seemed to flop around, and offered even less confidence as you plop down techy trails. I want my shit to be tight and orderly. That is until I tried the Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Harness. Wow. What a difference this unique handlebar-mounted clamp and mini-rack system makes. It’s ingenious and results in a flop-free user experience while weighing next to nothing. Plus, it keeps your dry bag from smashing your cables and rubbing your headtube raw.
Read my review: Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Handlebar Harness Review: Shred-Ready
Silca Chain Waxing System $99
Yes, chain waxing really is legit, with a few asterisks. I live in a very dry climate where you don’t really want to ride if it’s raining. To boot, our trail organization added bridges over the main creek along our mountain corridor, so my drivetrain didn’t get wet this year at all. Pardon the preface, but I cannot believe that the Silca chain wax lasted an entire riding season on my Murmur with ne’er a hiccup or squeak. The chain still feels waxy to the touch. That, to me, is a testament that the kit and the procedure are worth the expense. Now YMMV, but I’m sold on chain waxing.
SQ Labs Innerbarends $44.99
Wow. I always thought these looked… how do I say this? Strange. But when I was riding and shooting with Whit from Meriwether Cycles late last summer, I noticed he had the SQ Labs Innerbarends on his bike and asked about them. “Total game changer” is how he described them. Curious, I bought a set from Sincere Cycles and was immediately enthralled with how much they aid in climbing.
I don’t particularly want my MTB riding position to be super forward-leaning, particularly when it comes to riding a 140 or 150 mm travel bike. But what the Innerbarends do is allow your hands the same riding position as being in road drops, AND you can even use the brakes. This position while climbing a road to the trailhead and even long, sustained climbs made all the difference.
Vivo Enduro Derailleur $320
If I were listing these products in order of importance or stoke and not alphabetically, the Vivo Enduro Derailleur would be at the top of my list. Finally, someone made a US-assembled, 12-speed, modern mountain bike derailleur. And it’s silver! What more could an increasingly retro-grouchy modern mountain biker ask for? ;-)
Read my full review: Vivo Cycling Enduro Derailleur Review – Big Bling
Wolf Tooth Encase 40cc Pump $64.95
I went years without having to use a pump on a ride, and then the year I carried a Wolf Tooth pump with me on every ride, I had to use it at least once a week. Whether it be topping off after getting a hole in my tire that I promptly plugged with a Dynaplug, or I burped a tire on a particularly rocky section of trail, this little pump fits in my riding wallet and pulls, er pumps, its weight with ease!
See our Review here: Review: Wolf Tooth EnCase Hand Pumps – Hidden Pleasures
Favorite Ride(s)
Someone in the comments last year requested each of the authors at The Radavist reflect on their favorite rides, along with their favorite products, so whoever that was, thank you! Here are my two favorite rides of the year.
Town to Towers
The first chronologically was our well-documented Town to Towers ride with Miguel for an episode of Race Metal. I got to spend the whole day with Miguel, where I was able to get to know him better and marvel at his talents and workflow. Watching him do his thing while I sat there flapping my gums about ecotones and the Southern Rockies, and yet he was somehow able to pull out an engaging video from three hours of me yapping was a real treat.
I don’t often get to be away from my computer for an entire day so that added to the experience. Thanks, Miguel.
Borrego Overnighter with Cari
My second favorite ride was my overnighter with Cari. While we’ve done plenty of bicycle camping, Cari expressed an interest in doing a singletrack overnighter here in Santa Fe. I loaded down the Tumbleweed Sunliner with a majority of our gear and installed a Rogue Panda Blue Ridge Harness on her Revel Ranger to keep her bike light and nimble. We climbed up to a meadow along Tesuque Creek, putting in almost 3,000′ in elevation gain, made camp, and had one of the most beautiful nights in the mountains together. She pushed herself on the climb and the descent and gained more confidence on her bike. What more could a partner ask?
Lessons Learned
Throughout 2024, I had some of my most fervently-held beliefs questioned. Maybe it was my re-reading of Robert Anton Wilson’s Cosmic Trigger, or perhaps I’ve just been more keen on pushing my preconceptions. Still, I landed on a number of realizations that I’m grouping under a Lessons Learned chapter.
Smaller Tires
One of which I touched on in my Rocky Mountain Instinct review: I switched my full suspension bike from 29 x 2.6″ tires at 15 to 18 PSI with inserts to 2.4″ at 18 to 20 PSI without inserts. In doing so, I also shaved around 1.5 pounds from my rotational mass! I have to note that my buddy Kyle Klain insisted I do this years ago, but I was stubborn, and I must say it was really hard to hear him as he yelled it so far ahead of me on the trail.
The impact of this move was pretty outstanding. It made me a seemingly more efficient climber and descender as I learned better control over the bike rather than relying on the increase in traction from riding at lower pressures with a fatter tire. I still keep the larger tires on my hardtails to eke out the most traction on the rear end as possible, but I feel like this one move upped my riding ante on my full-suspension bike.
Suspension Setup Patience
I also learned to exhibit suspension setup patience this year, spending more time being obsessive about achieving the perfect tune on my bikes. Because I’m a creature of habit and ride the same-ish terrain all the time, I found a hyper-fine tuning of my suspension components unlocked the next level in my riding. Dialing in high and low-speed compression in an OCD way allowed me to achieve the best possible experience on review bikes and my own bikes as well. Particularly on a hardtail, I felt like I had unlocked a new power-up.
While this is by no means a step-by-step suspension setup, the procedure I use to baseline a new fork is as follows: assuming the fork has a damper with low and high-speed compression adjustment.
- First, I open up the high/low-speed compression.
- I set my spring rate by choosing 20% sag according to my weight.
- Set low-speed compression, beginning with a manufacturer’s suggestion.
- To set high-speed compression, I’ll open it all the way up and dial it in for the appropriate support during technical/high-speed descents.
- To finish it off, I’ll set rebound last.
My tinkering usually allows me to dial in the perfect settings after a ride or two of descending the same section of trail back to back.
Droppers on (Most) All Bikes
A last lesson learned is that I do, in fact, enjoy dropper posts on (some) gravel bikes. Be it the Ouroboros or my Ponderosa, having a dropper enables me to wield these bikes more like a mountain bike on the descents while relying on the heightened pedaling efficiency of climbing a rigid drop bar bike. I just wish someone made a gravel dropper shifter lever that clamped at the cable end… oh wait, OneUp did. I still don’t find them all that useful on more “road” adjacent gravel bikes, but on “adventure” models like the two listed above, it’s a total game changer.
Favorite Book: A Walk in the Park, Kevin Fedarko
The Emerald Mile is a crowning achievement of outdoor novels, and its author, Kevin Fedarko, released an exemplary tangential book called A Walk in the Park this year. This book chronicles the magnificent failures of the author and his photographer friend Pedro McBride as they get their asses handed to them time and time again by the Grand Canyon.
The first chapter alone is sure to set the hook! Eeeek!
I listened to the audiobook of A Walk in the Park as I heard Kevin’s impersonations of McBride add comic relief to the book of blunders. Boy, did it deliver. The herpetologist fanboy in me was also thrilled at the cameo of Andrew Holycross, the co-author of one of my all-time favorite reptile books, Snakes of Arizona.
A Walk in the Park is as much about the reverence gained by the author as it is a cultural look at the Grand Canyon’s history and geopolitical issues surrounding the most wondrous geological feature in the world.
Favorite New Album: Absolute Elsewhere, Blood Incantation
Take Pink Floyd, Tangerine Dream, and Morbid Angel. Toss them in a blender and mix with ayahuasca. Chug in one gulp and enjoy. Blood Incantation’s 2024 release, Absolute Elsewhere, departs from the band’s heavy-handed death metal and leans into psychedelic cosmic subconscious drone.
Everyone thought the band had given up on death metal when they released 2022’s Timewave Zero, a completely instrumental electronic album that explored some cosmic drone themes experimented on within 2019’s Hidden History of the Human Race, but they returned in late 2023 with Luminescent Bridge, a two-side EP with a classic death metal track on one side and a release of cosmic energy on the other.
Absolute Elsewhere is a bridge between the brand’s influences and a double-down on the fact that they are going to be free to wander into and out of that interdimensional portal of consciousness for the foreseeable future. Plus, don’t miss the music video for The Stargate.
I will say that members of Blood Incantation’s other band, Spectral Voice, released my runner-up for album of the year, Sparagmos. Death doom metal at its finest, baby!
Favorite Old Album: Selected Ambient Works 85 – 92, Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin was on constant rotation in the 1990s for me, and Richard David James’ work has been there for me throughout my architecture education and career. His music runs the gamut from atmospheric dreamscapes to blipped-out computer beats, barraging your eardrums. While he re-issued Selected Ambient Works Vol 2 this year, I found myself pulling out my copy of Apex Twin’s 1992 release Selected Ambient Works 85 – 92 over and over again.
From the opening track, “Xtal,” to the last cut, “Actium,” it’s easy to see why this album has remained at the top of the all-time greatest electronic albums. My favorite track is Side B’s opener “Ageispolis.”
Thanks to Kyle Klain for these photos…
New Things: I Went Elk Hunting
When I turned forty a few years ago, I made a promise to embrace new experiences. Since then, I’ve tried my hand at several new hobbies — most of which I’m admittedly not great at, especially skiing. But leaning into the challenge of learning something new has been transformative. It’s taught me that being okay with imperfection is key to personal growth, and facing the unknown has helped me reconnect with myself in meaningful ways.
After my friend Kim landed a large bull elk in 2023, I began asking questions, mostly about what elk hunting entailed. Kyle, Kim’s partner, said, “Put in for a tag, and we’ll help you out… you can borrow my rifle and pack.” Well, I got a tag, or a permit, for a good unit, or a specific area to hunt, and soon, the day came – and with it, 18″ of snow blanketed the New Mexico high country.
Kyle and Kim took me out into my unit and we had an amazing four days. I did not harvest/shoot a bull, or have to pack one out, but a few opportunities arose, and most importantly, I learned a lot.
We’ve ridden our bikes through this unit countless times on bike tours, but I felt like I had an even better lay of the land and a newfound reverence for how hard elk hunts are. Most importantly, I have a newfound respect for the animals. Unfortunately, elk tags are notoriously hard to land in New Mexico, but I’m glad to have had this experience and will continue to put in for one each year.
I hope to continue to push myself into new spaces. I tried something new, it was great, and I think it’s good for all of us to broaden our experiences and knowledge in the outdoors.
A Year of Sobriety
I touched on this in my Summer picks earlier this year, but I’ve now gone an entire year being completely sober. That means no weed, no acid, no mushrooms, no nothing. With all we had going on this year, I made the right choice, and it’s been so nice to finally know myself at the age of 43.
I’ve felt my day-to-day existence on a higher plane, and my emotions are even-keeled. I’ll be the first to say that psychedelics and therapy helped shape who I am today. However, there’s something soothing about feeling and thinking with more lucidity overall. Thanks to all the homies who have helped out during this journey. I appreciate y’all! I see you, Travis T.
Anyway, as we wind down 2024 and look to 2025, I wanted to thank everyone for checking in on this site and engaging in the comments. You’re really the best anyone running a media company could ask for.
Thanks for reading.
