With two members of our Radavist editorial team living in Arizona, it only made sense to head to Flagstaff for our second Cycling Guide. With its recent spike in new singletrack development, legendary dark skies, and accessible location as a hub for other Northern Arizona destinations, there’s a lot to talk about. Read on for a look at The City of Seven Wonders…
“2023 MADE bike show”
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Reportage
Whit’s Meriwether Cycles Luddite Silk-Ti Flex Pivot Hardtail
While John was hanging with Whit from Meriwether Cycles in the Nevada City area, he shot his Silk-Ti Flex Pivot bike. Whit calls this bike the Luddite. While we already featured this bike and the following write-up as a Readers’ Rides, John and his mindful eye have cataloged and fully documented it. Read on for the full story on the Luddite, along with some stellar photos of this titanium dream sled!
Reportage
2024 Bespoked Dresden Part 01: Atherton, Ballern, Black Sheep, Curve, Good Grief, Ingrid, Parsec Objects, Quokka, Rossman, and Sturdy
This weekend, we’re in Dresden, Germany for the Bespoked artisan frame builder and maker showcase! Below, our 2024 Bespoked Dresden Part 01 reportage features some amazing bicycles and products from Atherton, Ballern, Black Sheep, Curve, Good Grief, Ingrid, Parsec Objects, Quokka, Rossman, and Sturdy. Scroll on down to take it all in!
Reportage
Coros Dura Solar GPS Review: An Unpolished Gem
The Coros Dura GPS unit grabbed headlines this summer with its claims of a 120-hour battery life. In theory, that could even be extended indefinitely thanks to the integrated solar panel. But Travis dove deep into the drop-down menus and found the stuff below those headlines to be just as interesting.
Radar
Red Bull Rampage 2024: The Women Have (Finally) Arrived
Today we’re detouring into the gravity space in the lead-up to the 2024 Red Bull Rampage, the first edition of the event that will feature a women’s category. Hailey Moore shares a brief history of high-profile freeride mountain bike event and how a few of the women involved are thinking about this long-awaited milestone.
Reportage
Wende Cragg’s 1978 Breezer Series I: Like Riding Jewelry
Josh, Cari, and John were in Fairfax for a few days during the Camera Corner premiere, and before the Saturday screening, John shot Wende Cragg’s 1978 Breezer Series I, also known as #6, fresh off its world tour…
Reportage
Rodeo Adventure Labs Shop Visit: Ride. Explore. Create. Better.
Rodeo Adventure Labs was founded as an open-to-anyone team a decade ago by Stephen Fitzgerald and a group of friends in search of less rules and more fun on bikes. Since becoming a production bike company with an emphasis on versatility, customization, and—always—refined design, Rodeo has retained a culture of questioning the norm. Today, Hailey Moore shares a long-form profile of the high points and headwinds Rodeo has navigated over the past ten years, and exciting insights into how the company is thinking about its future. To accompany this Shop Visit, we’re also sharing people-and-bike portraits of the folks behind Rodeo Adventure Labs in a separate Radar.
Radar
A Conversation with Austin Killips About Her Record-Setting Tour Divide Ride and Upcoming Colorado Trail Attempt
Today, we have a conversation with the one and only Austin Killips. This year, she set a new overall record for the Arizona Trail and now a new women’s record for the Tour Divide. Spencer got the chance to ask Austin some questions as she prepared for the Colorado Trail to round out her Triple Crown. See what Austin had to reflect on and look forward to below…
Reportage
An Afternoon with Artist Chris McNally and Jessica Chan of Tunitas Creative
On his way to last month’s MADE bike show in Portland, OR, following a weekend in Fairfax, CA, for our premier of the Camera Corner documentary, Josh spent an afternoon with long-time friends of the site – artist Chris McNally and designer Jessica Chan of Tunitas Creative – and documented their collaboration on this month’s Group Ride giveaway item.
Below, get to know the San Francisco-based artist/designers and take a detailed look at making one-of-a-kind Day Totes up for grabs this month for Group Ride subscribers, as well as $150 gift cards from our friends at Ripton.
Reportage
Ti Talk with No. 22 Bicycle Company: Demystifying Titanium, the Ultimate Material for Frames
A few weeks back, during our State Bicycle Ti All-Road review, a conversation about titanium unfurled in the comments. The Radavist is uniquely positioned to have this discussion as we’ve amassed more Beautiful Bicycle galleries than anyone else on the web, and a large portion of these feature titanium frames. In the eighteen years of documenting cycling culture, we’ve also amassed a large contact list in the framebuilding world.
In an attempt to demystify the material, we reached out to No. 22 Bicycle Company for a bit of Ti Talk.
Radar
Apogee One Steel Full Suspension Orders are Open
The Apogee One, which we featured in our MADE coverage last year, is now open for pre-order. The kit includes the front triangle, rear swingarm, Free-Float Module, and shock. The Free-Float Module is a unique aluminum assemblage that contains the frame’s kinematics and shock while freeing up the front triangle for lots of framebag space and keeping the center of gravity low. These bikes are made in the Pacific Northwest.
The Apogee One Founders Edition is a run of 25 and retails for $3,995. See more at Apogee One.
Radar
Hyperlite Mountain Gear Splash Bivy Review
In her review of the Hyperlite Mountain Gear Splash Bivy, Hailey Moore writes about why she prefers bivies over tents and offers her assessment of this featherweight dyneema bikepacking, or backpacking, sleeping kit companion.
Radar
Tom Ritchey is Selling Fillet Brazed Bullmoose Bars and Forks for Vintage Ritchey MTB Owners
While John was checking in with Ritchey before Sea Otter, he got a sneak peek at the new Tom Ritchey-built Bullmoose bars and bi-plane forks Tom was working on for owners of these original 1980 Ritchey Mountain Bikes. Tom said he was inspired by both John’s and David Harrison’s restoration work on these non-serial 1980 frames that were sold without Bullmoose bars or forks.
Well, the news is live today that Tom Ritchey will be debuting this collection in person at MADE, so let’s check out the full 411 below!
Reportage
1984 Ritchey Annapurna: Lots of Brass
We looked at the restoration of this 1984 Ritchey Annapurna through a series of videos earlier this year, and today, we’re sharing a full Beautiful Bicycles gallery documentation of it, along with a brief quote by Tom Ritchey himself. John takes a look at this esquisite emblematic example of the quality work leaving the workshop of Ritchey below!
Radar
First Impressions: Forge+Bond Prototype Fusion Fiber Handlebar
We’ve ridden a handful of Fusion Fiber wheels, and we always wonder when this unique approach to carbon fiber might make the leap to other components. Well, we can keep on wondering, but the prototype handlebar that Forge+Bond sent to Travis last month has us thinking about the future.
Radar
SRAM RED XPLR AXS Review: 13-Speed, Lightweight, Durable, and Fast
Announced today, SRAM’s RED XPLR AXS groupset combines elements of its UDH-compatible mountain bike components with its high-end road group for an all-new gravel-specific product lineup. SRAM designed it to be light, fast, and durable for the needs of today’s gravel racers and riders wanting the highest performing upper echelon groupset.
To discover how RED XPLR AXS stacks up and who it’s best suited for, check out Josh’s review below.
Reportage
Kona Ouroborus Supreme Review: Next-Gen Gravel
Since posting our first look back in April, John’s been putting in miles on the Kona Ouroborus Supreme and finally wrapped his head around not only how to classify this bike but also what its best use case is. Is this the next stage in the evolution of gravel bikes?
Reportage
2024 LA Invitational at the Cub House: Where Everyone’s Invited
Today, we present a recap of the 2024 LA Invitational put on by all the lovely folks over at The Cub House in Los Angeles, CA. In a slightly different format than our typical event Reportage, the team gathered stories from various participants, who recounted harrowing and ecstatic experiences while out riding the event routes. Then, they conclude with a gallery of drool-worthy two- and four-wheeled machines from the bike and car show portion. Let’s check it out below!