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!
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Reportage
Bespoked X SRAM Inclusivity Scholarship 2024: Significant Other Bikes
In the next installment of a four-part series, our European correspondent Petor Georgallou joins Significant Other Bikes of Denver, Colorado. Petor recently took a gonzo-style roadtrip through North America to visit four framebuilders who have been awarded SRAM’s Inclusivity Scholarship to attend Bespoked in Dresden, Germany, on October 18–20. Take a peek behind the bikes made by Ashley King at Significant Other…
Reportage
Quirk Cycles Shop Visit: What’s in a Name?
In this Shop Visit, Petor Georgallou profiles London framebuilder Rob Quirk of Quirk Cycles and explores the realities of building contemporary custom bicycles in the UK. Join their discussion of 3D-printed parts, framebuilding as an art practice, life after the Bicycle Academy, and much, much more. Read on…
Reportage
Meriwether Cycles Ponderosa Adventure Gravel Bike Review
Yesterday we looked Inside and Out of Meriwether Cycles via an in-depth Shop Visit. In that post, we offered a sneak peek at Whit’s production adventure gravel bike, the Ponderosa. John has been riding a prototype all year, providing Whit feedback for the final production model, which we’ll look at it in detail today. Read on for a full review of this tall and sturdy dream bike platform…
Reportage
Inside / Out at Meriwether Cycles: The Ponderosa, Portage Handles, and Adventure Bike Wayfinding
Whit Johnson’s handmade bike company, Meriwether Cycles, has been featured here at The Radavist periodically over the years. Recently, John spent a day at Whit’s small garage shop in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains of California and got out on a sunset pedal with him. Read on for a look inside and out of Meriwether Cycles, in addition to a preview of Whit’s new adventure gravel bike, the Ponderosa…
Radar
Cotic Escapade UK853 is Made in the UK
The Cotic Escapade, the all-road gravel bike John reviewed last year, now comes in a UK853 model and is made in the UK.
This is the best Escapade Cotic has ever made. The bike is supple, tough, and light Reynolds 853 tubing carefully crafted into the perfect ‘life-bike.” The UK853 is handmade in the UK with a choice of a la carte’ colors, for rough roads, gravel smiles, and everything from the daily commute to your big adventures.
See more at Cotic.
Radar
Touring Through Japan
“Mystery Tour: Bikepacking Through Japan” follows friends Jackson, Jake, Kyle, and Fischer on a bike tour across Japan on State Bicycle Co.’s Titanium All-Road bikes. From navigating Tokyo’s chaotic streets and subways to cycling along the coast and through scenic landscapes, their journey is filled with surprises, new friends, and spontaneous detours.
Reportage
2024 MADE Bike Show Part 06: Blaze, Breadwinner, Donkelope, Mischief, Mosaic, Outer Shell, Stellar Werks, Terraplane
Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 06. Click on through below for selects from Blaze, Breadwinner, Donkelope, Mischief, Mosaic, Outer Shell, Stellar Werks, and Terraplane.
Reportage
2024 MADE Bike Show Part 05: Artefact, Bantam, Destroy, Flatiron, Holland, No. 22, Prova, SaltAir, Seeker, Significant Other
Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 05. Click on through below for selects from Artefact, Bantam, Destroy, Flatiron, Holland, No. 22, Prova, SaltAir, Seeker, and Significant Other.
Reportage
2024 MADE Bike Show Part 03: Blandford, Fat Chance, Frances, La Marche, Onguza, Ritte, Ron’s Bikes, Schon, Sycip, Wilde
Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 03. Click on through below for selects from Blandford, Fat Chance, Frances, La Marche, Onguza, Ritte, Rons Bikes, Schon, Sycip, and Wilde.
Reportage
Chumba SOCO SL Ti All Road Review: Seeking Joy
Carving mountain descents and sprinting up short rises, Morgan Taylor rekindled a love for zippy road bikes with the Chumba SOCO SL Ti All Road. In this long term review, Morgan reflects on what makes the SOCO a bike they’d like to keep just a little bit longer…
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.
Reportage
Prova Cycles: Lean Manufacturing
John and Cari were in Melbourne for a few days following the 2024 MADE Australia showcase, which gave them some free time to visit a couple of shops, one of which was Prova Cycles.
Nestled inside this compact factory, siblings Mark and Kelly Hester build some of the most advanced bikes in the world. This two-person team has optimized production over the past four years, and it’s something to behold…
Radar
Camera Corner World Premiere MADE Tickets Are On Sale!
Camera Corner will have its world premiere at the MADE Bike Show Movie Night on Friday, August 23rd. It will screen at 8 PM at the Zidell Yards in Portland, Oregon, and your entry to the film is free if you have a MADE ticket for Friday. Otherwise, it’s $10. Yakima is sponsoring the movie night and We Are One is buying the first 400 beers for the evening events. Do not miss out!
We recommend buying your tickets ahead of time as this show will sell out and there are no guarantees you’ll be able to get in the night of. You can buy tickets at MADE.
Read on for more information about 2024 MADE.
Reportage
Stolen Garage: Multidisciplinary Velo Cafe, Bike Shop, and Framebuilders in Paris, France
Located in the heart of Paris, France, Stolen Garage is an innovative multidisciplinary space, or “lieu hybride,” in French. It brings together a variety of disciplines under one roof. The venue combines a café/bistro, bike shop, fully-equipped repair workshop, and a custom frame building and painting studio.
To accompany Josh’s photographic documentation of the Stolen Garage space, we tapped co-owner Finlay Skillen to pen an overview of their background and unique approach to building community and inspiring creativity around a love for bicycles in Paris.
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.
Radar
A List of Drop-Bar 29er Mountain Bikes
Three weeks ago, John laid out a quick look at dirt drops on early mountain bikes by using his 1983 Steve Potts as a vehicle for the discussion and today we’re looking at our favorite modern drop-bar 29er mountain bikes. But first, we’ve got to define what a drop-bar 29er mountain bike is!