Radar Roundup: LA Invitational Hype, Sanitas Root Hardtail Ti, Ti Mongoose Raffle for Winnemucca Elders and Residents, Blake Hansen and the Trans Mountain Bike Experience, and Dirt Makers: Bender Bicycles

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

The Los Angeles Invitational is Saturday May 20th!

Head over to LosAngelesInvitational.com to sign up.

Three ride options all about 50% dirt 50% paved:

The Single Scoop: 25 miles 2,500ft of elevation
The Double Scoop: 40 miles 4,000ft of elevation
The Triple Scoop: 55 miles 7,500ft of elevation

Could you do them on a Mountain bike? Yes! Could you do it on a road bike with 30mm tires? Probably, but don’t do that to yourself! We recommend a tire sweet spot of 38-45c. Be prepared to be fully self-supported even though there will be multiple awesome aid stations. Routes will be emailed to registered riders one week before the event. The routes will not be marked, so download the route and ask us for a route card!

Good stuff to bring on your ride: tubes, tire boots, tire plugs, ways to inflate tires, multi-tool, a packable jacket, big water bottles, and food for a long day out. Most importantly, these trails and roads are open to the public. So be respectful, be safe, and respect the nature and mountains we get to ride in.

All rides will start together at 7:30 am from the shop, and there will be cut-off times.

Registration is $55 for all route options, and that’s pretty much it… Oh yes! A big slice of pizza and a fresh drink are included!

Don’t forget this is a whole weekend of activities so on Sunday, May 21st we will be having the 6th annual Bike Show/Car Show/Swap Meet at The Cub House. To reserve spots, call or text The Cub House.

LA Invitational art flier by @evan.weselmann.

See more at LosAngelesInvitational.com

Sanitas Root Hardtail Ti

The Sanitas Root Classic hardtail titanium is individually handcrafted using carefully selected oversized cold work 3/2.5 titanium tubing. Each and every frame is hand built to the customer’s specifications, one by one, in Sanitas’ Durango, Colorado facility.

Designed with Sanitas’ signature s-bend seat stays, s-bend chainstays, and hand pick oversized cold worked and stress relieved titanium tubing the Root delivers nimble handling while at the same time providing exceptional climbing and descending ability. Each frame is custom designed and built at no additional charge so you can choose between 29, 27.5 or 26” wheel platforms and up to 3″ tires.

See more at Sanitas Bikes.

Ti Mongoose Raffle for Winnemucca Elders and Residents

Community Cycling Center has put together a fundraiser to help out the Winnemucca tribe’s elders and residents to assist in their relocation and legal fees. The situation at the Winnemucca Colony is complex, but press releases from the Water Protectors Legal Collective help to shine some light on what’s been going on:

“The Winnemucca Indian Colony is an Indian Colony created by the 1916 executive order of Woodrow Wilson and an act of 1928 Congress for homeless Paiute and Shoshone Indians to live and work near the developing railroad and town in far northwest Nevada. While the history of the Colony is complex, it is undisputed that Residents engaged in self-governance of their homelands until the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and others asserted involvement in the group’s affairs. The community has suffered from years of litigious disputes, harassment, and violence over who has authority over the Winnemucca Indian Colony…

On Friday, December 2, 2022, a hearing was held wherein the Winnemucca Tribal Court summarily evicted [fourteen] Elders and Residents without a trial.”

Could the current escalation have anything to do with the approval of a nearby lithium mining project? That would be hard to determine with certainty. One thing is certain, though: the people who have lost their homes need help covering temporary housing and legal fees.You can read more about the evolving situation at Water Protector Legal here and here.

THE RAFFLE

Community Cycling Center was able to piece together a pretty cool size large Mongoose Titanium Pro 26er out of parts that have come through in the past few months. The frame was built by Sandvik in Kennewick, WA, some time around 1999. A lot of the kit is period correct, but it sports a fashionably short Thomson stem and wide Surly Sunrise bar. Hubs and headset are Chris King, while the blingy CNC brakes are some rare Controltech units made in Kent, WA.

Raffle instructions: donate at least $20 to @defendWIC (Venmo) or $defendWIC (CashApp). Take a screenshot and send it, along with contact info (email and/or telephone, Insta, etc) to wcbikeraffle@gmail.com. Every $20 gets you one raffle ticket! The more the better! One lucky winner’s name will be pulled out of a hat on May 31st.

Lastly, here’s a pretty rad late 90s commercial for the frame…

Inside The Trans Mountain Biking Experience with Pioneer Blake Hansen

Outside is following mountain bike pro Blake Hansen on her yearlong MTB tour facing off against elite competitors. In this episode, we start at home where Blake is building her bike for the year with her friend Garrin.

Follow along in this 4-part series as we see Blake through the 2022 summer season. In that time, Blake opens up about what it’s like to be a trans woman in the mountain biking space and we have a first-hand look into some of the camaraderie that happens behind the scenes.

Dirt Makers: Bender Bicycles

Topo Designs recently spent the day with Will Bender, owner/designer/builder at Bender Bicycles in Fort Collins, Colorado. Will’s designs are colorful and classic, and his builds are beautiful with function and purpose.

See our Bender content in our archives:
Inside / Out at Bender Bicycle Company of Fort Collins, CO
A FoCo Collabo: Josh’s Bender 29+ Touring MTB with Oddity Squid Fork
Readers’ Rides: Michael’s Bender Hardtail 29er