Ronnie’s Alumalith debuted here in our 2022 Philly Bike Expo coverage and since that virgin voyage, he’s put countless miles on it from the Northeast to the Southwest. Long overdue for an overhaul, his refresh looks very similar to Josh’s build with a Sklar-built Bullmoose. Check it out for some ASMR vibes this afternoon and be sure to visit Ronsbikes.com.
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Reportage
Far from Alone: Meaghan Hackinen’s Invisible Support Network Behind her Solo Tour Divide Finish
This June, Meaghan Hackinen set out to compete in the Tour Divide. While no stranger to big rides or bikepacking races, this would be Meaghan’s longest off-pavement adventure yet. After a neck-and-neck race with Ana Jager, Meaghan reached Antelope Wells in a time of 15 days and 23 hours, winning the 2024 women’s division (7th overall) and setting the fastest women’s time for a grand depart.
In this reflective essay, Meaghan weaves together snapshots from her experience while exploring the invaluable but less visible support network that helped her achieve this Tour Divide win.
Supporting photographs from Seth DuBois, Alexandera Houchin, and Megan Dunn
Reportage
A Fistful of Bolivianos: Crossing the Andean Altiplano
As Ryan Wilson continues his bike tour south from Colombia to Chile, he crosses a remote stretch of Bolivia’s infamous altiplano. Follow along as Ryan takes on this harsh yet beautiful environment through volcanic landscapes and otherworldly salt flats.
Reportage
La Chouette Bike Shop: Adding Color to the City of Lights
For nearly ten years, La Chouette Bike Shop has been serving Paris, France – and an ever-growing online customer base – with a finely curated selection of bikes, components, and products from some of our favorite brands. In a continuation of Reportage from his time visiting Paris earlier this month, Josh checks in with La Chouette owners Pierre, João, and Jacob, who are on a mission to add a bit of international color to the streets of their fine city…
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!
Radar
Saturday RAD BAZAAR Finds!
Today, we’ve got a fine selection of used goods from the Rad Bazaar, our Group Ride subscribers‘ selling platform, featuring some unique offerings. Let’s check it all out!
Reportage
Fyxo’s “Trail Breaker” Surly Krampus For Melburn Roobaix
Seeds of inspiration come from many places, people, and times in your life. Fyxo’s latest project was a trinity of such influences fused into one. Combining inspiration from Speedvagen, an old Shogun MTB, and MAD MAX to create his custom rusty Surly Krampus for Melburn Roobaix.
Radar
Dandy Horse Hyperion 30 GRX Wheel Review: Getting Wide in Warsaw
With a 28-millimeter internal diameter, a 30-millimeter rim depth and marketed for gravel riding, the Dandy Horse Hyperion 30 GRX is a unique offering in the crowded field of carbon gravel wheelsets. After riding these wheels extensively on her True Love Cycles Heart Breaker, Hailey Moore shares her review and writes about how they fit into the growing “niche-ification” of cycling trends.
Reportage
藝術 (Art), 手工藝 (Craftsmanship), 製造 (Manufacture): Taichung Taiwan is a Bicycling Manufacturing Mecca
Coming off our Dust-Up article on (Most) All Bikes are Handmade is a deeper dive… It is easy to take for granted how products from around the globe end up in our hands. When it comes to bicycles, many of us have no idea how they are made. Our Instagram feeds are filled with romanticized images of artisans building intricate frames one at a time, but what about the production bicycles that the vast majority ride? Much less information is available, leaving our imaginations to conjure up images of robotic welders and dirty, fast-paced production. This often leads to uninformed debates on where, who, and how products are made.
The authors of this article offer a unique perspective on bicycle manufacturing. Daniel Yang, a talented engineer working with Neuhaus Metalworks and his own brand ARTEFACT, is changing how artisan framebuilders build bikes through 3D printing and 3D modeling innovations. Adam Sklar has over a decade of experience building high-end custom bikes by hand. He recently brought his production to Taiwan, working together with factories to produce his signature designs. The factories and people you see in this article produce Sklar Bikes, which is why we were given the opportunity to share this experience with you all.
Radar
Modular Protection: Tannus Fusion Tubeless Tire Insert Review
Tannus Fusion is the world’s first modular tubeless tire insert system. Made of two interlocking components, the system allows riders to select the exact amount of desired tire protection. Each portion of the Fusion insert can also be used individually, for applications ranging from road to trail riding. Spencer recently got his hands on a set of the new Fusion inserts, which are launching today, and set them up on a couple of his bikes. Read on for his review…
Reportage
It’s All Ball Bearings: Chris King Precision Components Factory Visit
Within a relatively straightforward product lineup, Chris King Precision Components manufactures hubs, headsets, bottom brackets, and, perhaps most importantly, the bearings inside that make them spin. On a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, Josh spent some time at the Chris King HQ factory to learn more about the company’s origins and what makes it continue to stand out in a crowded space of bearing-centric bicycle components. Read on below for the full rundown of what goes on at CKPC’s giant vegetable oil-fueled machine shop!
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Alexander’s 1987 Schwinn Cimarron Drop Bar MTB
The Schwinn Cimarron remains one of the more affordable 1980s MTB frames and when a bike is affordable, creativity blossoms. Check out what Alexander did with his 1987 build, featuring the wild and kooky Suntour S-1 rear mech!
Reportage
The Stooge Speedbomb Review: Maybe It’s Not a Compromise After All
In this Stooge Speedbomb review, Jason Fuller reflects on our collective obsession with ever-more-complicated bicycle technologies, and what led him to give up suspension for the simplicity of a rigid mountain bike. Beyond the retro-grouches and technophobes, can a rigid mountain bike be more fulfilling than one with suspension?
Radar
First Ride Review: Veolo Bike Trailer
After a successful Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2023, the Veolo bike trailer is moving to production—available for pre-order now with an expected arrival time of May 2024. Hailey Moore has been looking for an analog system for carrying more commuting cargo by bike and was intrigued by the Veolo’s lightweight build, modest storage footprint, and hefty carrying capacity.
Read on for her first-ride review of this German-made bike trailer…
Radar
Saturday Rad Bazaar Finds
Today, we’ve got a fine selection of used (and new) goods from the Rad Bazaar, our Group Ride subscribers‘ selling platform, featuring some unique offerings. Let’s check it all out!
Reportage
Wide Open: Mason Cycles Bokeh 3 Gravel Bike Review
While we give a lot of coverage to big, burly dropbar touring bikes, there’s something freeing about riding a lightweight and zippy gravel bike at a faster pace. Mason Cycles’ Bokeh 3 offered up this exact riding experience for John as he fled the frigid lands of Northern New Mexico in winter for a romp in the grasslands of Patagonia, Arizona. Let’s check it out…
Radar
Shallow but Wide: A Comparison Review of the Ritchey Corralitos and Beacon Gravel Handlebars
As gravel and touring bikes begin to adopt features like bigger tires and dropper posts, it seems that handlebars have been slow to keep up.
Sure, bars are getting wider. But there’s only so much you can do to make them taller. Unless, like the new Ritchey Corralitos handlebar, you build them with a subtle rise and shallow drop. That’s what got Travis Engel interested in trying them out. The hard part would be abandoning the very similar Ritchey Beacon that he’s been using for over a year. So, he weighed the pros and cons of both, and shares his findings.
Reportage
Spencer’s Favorite Products of 2023
Spencer Harding is up next and below, joins our team of contributors and editors in sharing a list of favorite products and albums of 2023. A few of his picks are things he’s had for a while and have withstood the test of time and extended use. Others include some new gadgets as well as one non-bike-related product for good measure. He also put together a list of album and podcast recommendations. Let’s get right into it below!