Due to demand, we re-upped our Deserted Big Oasis bottles, perfect for the upcoming warm months. These are now in our Web Shop, where we’ll be slowly trickling out new products in the coming weeks. If you have a request for something, drop it in the comments and we’ll get to work on it. Don’t worry, more Fairends caps are on the way as well!
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Teravail’s Rutland tire is the newest of their gravel-oriented tires, available in 38mm and 42mm sizes for 700c wheels, and 47mm for the 650b wheels – which is what I had the chance to try out for this review.
The Rutland is a relatively chunky dirt road tire, with tightly-spaced knobs in the center section, and more widely spaced intermediate and side knobs. It resembles a scaled-down version of a semi-slick mountain bike tire, and has the manners you’d expect of such a tire: relatively quick on any surface, but with enough bite to give confidence when the going gets loose. (more…)
No pack, no problem! Voler has been developing a Stow Bib Liner for those packless riding days that will fit everything you need for a ride. These liners go under your baggies and are a lighter weight option than a standard bib short. Two pockets on the back allow you to carry a pump, tools, riding wallet, water bottles and other essentials without having to weigh down your back. These are made in California and retail for $79. They’re in stock now at Voler, so head on over to check them out. They’re also giving away a pair for FREE! Head to their Instagram for more details.
You might have caught this in this weekend’s NAHBS coverage but No. 22 have launched a new composites line dubbed No. 6 and with that launch come three new fork options: an all road fork, a disc road fork, and a rim brake road fork. Each fork has minimal branding and a sleek profile to fit your frame, but their all road fork really caught my eye. With clearance for a 45mm tire, 50mm rake, 382mm axle to crown, fender mounts, and barely there branding, these forks will be a surefire hit with builders. See more at No. 6 Composites.
It took a long time and there’s a long story behind the reason for the abnormal wait but at NAHBS this year, Chris King released the plug-n-play XD driver for their R45 road hubs. Now, there is a compatibility window for this replacement driver, so you should check with your local bike shop to see if your hubs can take the 11-speed driver, but if you have a Centerlock hub, then you’re good to go. Head to your local shop to inquire about the upgrade so you can use SRAM’s 10-42 cassette on your all-road bike.
When it comes to carbon MTB wheels, Santa Cruz’s Reserve line is quite the deal. With modern rim profiles, minimal branding, and a lifetime warranty, they’re hard to pass up. All they needed to do was offer their rims in dropbar, or all-road friendly shapes. At NAHBS 2019 they did just that, now offering 700c and 650b Reserve Rims, with the same warranty as their MTB rims, all for a retail of $599 a hoop. See more features below. (more…)
There has always been this kooky thing floating around the internet and oftentimes, even on the streets. I’ve seen it before in New York, someone JB Welds or finds another way to permanently attach a fixed cog to a hub on the left side. Sure, it’s mostly for looks, but there’s certainly a bit of appeal to something so weird. There are even reports of the USA team pursuit squad claiming it’s faster.
Whatever the reason, be it looks, or gains, Affinity Cycles contacted Phil Wood with a request to make a left hand drive kit. Affinity made 10 of these kits and they sell for $1,000 including everything you need to get your bike rolling… from the left.
Lilac Dreams and the Velo Orange Polyvalent
Photos and words by Morgan Taylor
Looks can be deceiving. The Velo Orange Polyvalent looks like a classic randonneuring bike, particularly when dressed in an all-silver build kit. But, after many miles and various tire and bag changes, a different story emerged for me. While its handling characteristics are markedly different, the Polyvalent is a peer – and interesting alternative – to the popular all-steel drop bar adventure bikes out there like the Soma Wolverine, Surly Straggler, Kona Rove, and so on.
Now in its fourth iteration, the Polyvalent for the first time gets disc brakes, and that’s exactly what prompted me to reach out to Velo Orange about doing a review. Over the past few years I’ve been exploring how the widely varying combinations of steel frames and wide tires manifest in ride quality. Yes, I’m still on the hunt for the elusive smooth-riding production disc brake bike. Could the Polyvalent Mk4 be the one? (more…)
Last year, during my Shop Visit to Petaluma’s White Industries, I got to check out their in-house wheel production shop, headed by Sean Walling from Soulcraft. White’s hope is to offer 100% made in house wheelsets and that dream begins with their new G25A Rim. See all the details below!
Those of us who remember MTB bar ends, recalls a different era of the sport. Nowadays, bar ends like this make a lot of sense on a flat bar ‘cross or bikepacking rig, especially when you consider the extra cargo capacity of these new Chim Chim MTB bar ends by Paul Component Engineering. To see what I mean, head to PAUL for more information and see two “in the wild” photos below, showcasing their carrying capacity. ;-)
