Next up in our year-end recaps, Nicholas shares a short list of his favorite products for life on and off the bike, as well as a few recommendations for reading and listening…
Photo by Adam Sklar
2024 was a doozy for me. I spent a good portion of the year recovering from numerous major injuries. I started the year with a tweaked knee and a broken hand, and it only got worse from there. I broke my wrist and ankle right before I started working as Copy Editor here at The Radavist. I rode less this year and had to learn to adapt to life without bikes. As a result, the majority of my list consists of things that are useful both on and off the bike, or things that really gave me some joy during dark times. Thankfully, in these last few months, I’ve returned to cycling, and it’s done wonders for my mental and physical health. I’m so grateful to be closing out the year on two wheels. Here are the things that made me happy this year.
Photo by John Watson
My Favorite Products of 2024
Sometimes the simplest things are the most useful. Here are a few basic, utilitarian items that I use daily.
SimWorks Corner Store Musette $40
This little sling bag was give to me at the SimWorks storefront soft opening party during MADE. I started using the bag that weekend, and I haven’t stopped bringing it with me daily ever since. At 14” wide and 11” tall, this musette is the perfect size for my MacBook Air, iPad Pro, a sketchbook, a bag full of art supplies, my Sony RX100 V, and a slim book or magazine. Constructed of EPX200 EcoPak with a single adjustable nylon shoulder strap, this bag is durable and hard-wearing. It’s a dude purse that doesn’t scream GORP and I love it for its basic, unflashy utility value.
Outer Shell Rope Strap $39
My previous riding camera setup was a Sony a6000 with the Outer Shell Adventure Camera Strap, but this year I decided to start carrying something a bit sleeker and more compact. I purchased a new-to-me Sony RX100 V from Casey at Campandgoslow and less than a week later, I got the Rope Strap from Kyle and Jim at the Outer Shell. When combined with the Mini Stabilizer Cord ($12) and Tripod Screw($2), this made-in-SF camera strap combo is perfect for carrying on my back while riding. It’s also a cinch to swap out for the Wrist Strap($25) when I’m carrying the camera in a bag. I’ve long been a supporter of Outer Shell’s thoughtful, minimalist design and ethical DIY values. Long live Outer Shell.
My Favorite Book of 2024: Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn
Investigative journalist Cal Flyn travels to post-Chernobyl Pripyat, post-industrial Detroit, post-war Verdun, and a number of other polluted and decaying sites to observe nature filling a void in the absence of us. Flyn describes environments rebounding in the aftermath of human destruction. As Flyn writes, “And yet everywhere I have looked, everywhere I have been – places bent and broken, despoiled and desolate, polluted and poisoned – I have found new life springing from the wreckage of the old, life all the stranger and more valuable for its resilience.” This book delivers a sense of hope that not all is lost; this planet is resilient and full of wonder, and it’s worth fighting for.
My Favorite Albums of 2024: Tracks and Traces by Harmonia & Eno ‘76 / Musik von Harmonia by Harmonia
I started the year with a dream trip: my best friend and I loaded up our surfboards on top of my ‘93 4Runner and we drove 1,500 miles south to the tip of Baja Sur. We surfed every day, camped on the beach every night, and enjoyed a warm winter in Mexico together. I didn’t have a working stereo in the vehicle, so our only source of amplified music was a cheap bluetooth speaker that we nestled on the dashboard. There’s little to no cell service in Baja, so we were stuck listening to the albums that I’d already downloaded: a cumbia mix, a reggaeton mix, and the album Tracks and Traces, a recording of collaborative sessions between the British minimalist synth pioneers Brian Eno, Dieter Möbius, and Hans-Joachim Roedelius, and guitarist Michael Rother. It’s a warm, organic album, full of serene, ethereal sounds from some of the early masters of analog modular synthesizer music. One evening, we were slowly crawling the 4Runner over a rocky and remote pass high in the mountains, the pink-orange sunset cast shimmering rays across a wild prehistoric landscape, and the warm night air blew in through the open windows, and this soundtrack was just… perfect for the moment.
A few months ago, I sold the 4Runner and got myself a 2001 Toyota Sienna. This minivan has a functional original stereo with a CD player. I haven’t owned any compact discs in a long time, so I made a special trip to the Next Record Store in Santa Rosa, where I found a Japanese import copy of Musik von Harmonia in the used bins. It has been on constant repeat since then. I can’t say that I’ve found the same perfect moment just yet… but I’m ready for it.
My Favorite Experiences of 2024: Going Full Roadie
While laid up at home for three months with a broken wrist and ankle, I often fantasized about post-recovery rides. I wanted to pedal again, but not on trails – that’s why I was broken in the first place. I wanted a road bike, but not a modern carbon monstrosity. Something classically elegant and fast. I have always felt magnetically drawn to the mystique of vintage Campagnolo-equipped Italian road racing bikes, so that’s what I was seeking. I scoured the Rad Bazaar, eBay, and Craigslist for something steel, preferably lugged, in a 62cm frame size.
That’s when this Jeffrey Richman road bike popped up on my radar. It’s not at all what I was looking for, but too unique to pass up. And it’s got quite a story to go with it, too! Eventually, I’ll write a full Bike Check article about this bike – but not yet. I’m hoping to gather more info about Richman himself, a framebuilder from my hometown who made a number of truly gorgeous bikes and then vanished from local cycling lore. That tale is not quite ready to tell.
In the meantime, I’ll be out exploring the famously rough roads of Sonoma County on a 90s-era steel road bike with a purple fade paintjob. Allez!
Being Mindful
As weird as it is to write this for an online publication, this year I’ve found a lot of value in staying offline as often as possible. Here’s a reminder to unplug, tune out, and just be present in the moment, whatever that means to you. Being in nature can be a meditative experience. Last week I spent about an hour mid-ride in Annadel State Park, sitting cross-legged in a prairie, listening to woodpeckers and watching a coyote playfully hunting ground squirrels under the oak trees. That was one of my favorite moments all year.
