The Radavist

Grove Gathering: Rody’s Groovy Grove Innovations Hardcore
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

We’ve all been there, the one bike we always wished we never had gotten rid of.  The one bike that transported us to a place of freedom, or perhaps the bike that got us stoked on bikes, this is that bike. After 12 years without his trusty bike, Rody, of Groovy Cycleworks decided to try and find this hardcore, which he sold a long time ago.  

With a flyer in hand, his local bike shops help, and some perfectly aligned stars he was able to find the bike, rebuild it, the owner even had the original HardCore fork and Hammerhead stem. I doubt Rody will ever make the mistake of getting rid of this bike again.

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Grove Gathering: Grove Innovations Assault Team Bike
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

This assault was one of the first 10 assaults to roll out of production in Grove’s Pennsylvania factory and was ridden as a team race bike in the early 90s.  I can’t imagine if I were in attendance back then, my mind would’ve melted as a ten-year-old.  Just look at it! Fade, check, splatter, check, crackle, WHAT? This Grove has one of the wildest paint jobs I’ve seen on a bike. Sadly I’m told that this paint can’t be replicated because the chemicals don’t exist any longer.

Not only did Grove make frames, forks, stems, and handlebars, but perhaps the coolest of all of the Grove parts is the Hotrod cranks.  At the time square taper was everywhere, but Bill Grove and his team looked to military applications and came up with an asymmetrical polygon, very similar looking to the interface that E13 uses in their cranks today some 25 years later.  They thought if tanks used this design it should be strong enough for a bicycle application. These two-piece cranks used a row of four bearings (two per side) and some seals to keep the weather at bay. Aside from the cranks, this build features some pretty standard parts for a grove of the time, including the Hammerhead bar/stem, and some Shimano XT parts.

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Grove Gathering: Grove Innovations Prototype Hardcore
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Earlier this year, Martin from Second Spin and Justin from Freeze Thaw Cycles schemed about an event that would let them share their mutual love for Grove Innovations and get together some Grove owners for a ride and party or shred-n-show if you will, that event was the first Grove Innovations Gathering.

Grove Innovations might not be a household name if you live outside of Pennsylvania, but Bill Grove and his team were innovators that tried some new things that many others wouldn’t dare for the sake of creating a bombproof bike. The oversized  2″ 4130 downtube and straight blade fork made for an extremely precise steering bike with a stiff bottom bracket junction that allowed the pilot to put power into the ground and control it over all types of terrain.  The hardcore, at its inception, was an east coast bike if there ever were one, playful, rugged and capable of hucking off a loading dock as well as ripping over log-laden single track.  With a 13.5″ bottom bracket, and integrated bash guard that even protected all 44 teeth on the big ring, the hardcore could make short work of the rugged rocky terrain of which this bike was born. Most of the builds done on groves of this vintage ran durable parts in favor of early 90s anodized bling. Each frameset came with a set of Hammerhead bars as well, and bottle cages painted to match, albeit this proto isn’t running the latter.  Proof of the concept in durability is that this prototype is still being ridden nearly 30 years later.

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Shop Visit: Freeze Thaw Cycles
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Since 05 Freeze Thaw Cycles has been providing great service work and community to State College, from their weekly rides to their mini bicycle museum, they’ve got the best vibe around them for sure.  Justin and some friends started recycling bikes to create alternate transportation, and a lot of their core values hold true today, some 13 years later.  With assembly being of utmost importance every bike built gets stripped to nothing and rebuilt, faced, chased, and ready to roll, which is atypical from most shops today.  Over the years, Justin has procured one of the largest collections of Grove Innovations as well as some other builders.  Those bikes now line the walls above the main floor, just out of reach, but not far enough away that I didn’t stare for hours, no really!  It’s wild to think that this rad of a space is nestled between some of the best MTB trails in Pennsylvania, that’s a good 2 for 1 deal.  If you roll through the area anytime soon, stop by and say hi, you won’t be sorry!

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Joe’ DKXL Prototype Salsa Cycles Warbird Carbon
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Joe’s proto Warbird has taken what Salsa has learned from their athletes and staff to refine what was already a fast gravel bike and give it some new features. The fork/frame is all new but with added versatility like dynamo routing in the fork, fender mounts, and a much cleaner Di2 setup.

Joe has already raced the DKXL aboard the new bird, proof that the new bike is ready to rip some gravel. This bike doesn’t just look fast, it is, but stays comfy over the roughest of b-roads thanks to the 2nd generation updated vibration reduction system. Aside from the entire suite of SRAM parts, including Zipp wheels, and SRAM Drivetrain and Brakes, the left lever can operate his dropper mid-race if needed making this, the most capable Warbird yet.

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Saddle Drive Is The Best … Time For All
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Saddle Drive is a dealers only event in which QBP invites bicycle retailers from all over the country to take part in what is usually two days of seminars, stoke, and shredding, yes there’s a whole bunch of product in there too, unfortunately, I can’t share much as most of it is under embargo. This year some forthcoming thunderstorms (PSYCH) condensed the shred/expo time to just one day. The morning before the demo, QBP held a women’s only ride and 97% of the attendees traversed some of the best forest-service roads near Seven Springs, PA .   Even with the condensed timetable, I was able to take some familiar bikes down some familiar terrain and even venture further off route.

Thanks to a little Google Earth logistics we were able to take some singletrack over the road to visit some cutty spots at the top, ALWAYS TAKE THE SINGLETRACK!  There were some rad new products including Ketl’s revamped women’s line, Teravail’s answer to the industry that the world needs more gumwalls!  (Twenty-nine X 2.6″  Kennebec PLEASE) and some revamped Whisky Rims just to name a few.  It was All City’s Tenth Anniversary and let me tell you that 10TH Anniversary Mr. Pink is wild in person! Finishing out the demo day I was able to shoot some of Salsa’s new line of bikes which will be featured here once the embargo is lifted, thanks to Lindsey Beltchenko, Salsa’s Marketing Manager. I wanted to cram every bit of time we could into the day and we dipped to a natural rock slide just outside of the resort and visited a cafe that had Kyle stoked the whole way back.  We made it back in time for All City’s 10TH Anniversary Party, here’s to 100 more, as a bonus check out Jeff’s rad Gorilla Monsoon.  Thanks to everyone at QBP who makes this event a success, and everyone who made this event a blast!  This was definitely a Saddle Drive to remember.

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Anna’s Gunnar Hyper X Covered in Paul Comp
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

I’ve seen a lot of bikes built around a theme, one where you wonder where the mind of the person wanders.  This bike is one of those.  Initially, an Ocean Air Cycles Stem Top sparked this build which then turned into one of the best uses for gold and blue ano on a bike.  The mash-up is so good, I had to double take.  Anna’s Gunnar is covered with matching Paul Component from top to bottom, but my favorite pieces are definitely the Klampers. From there its built with a wild set of Gevanalle shfiters, White Industries headset and a mix of SRAM components.

I visited town a little while ago, granted it’s still snowy in some parts of the world, but I’m sure this will be ripping the River Bottoms shortly, probably with some different rubber.  I love this bike!

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Land Run 100 Rides: Addison’s Stripped State Single Speed
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Thirty-hours, nope that’s not the travel time from Quebec to Land Run 100.  It is the amount of time it took Addison to hand strip his State Bicycle Single speed and leave behind some beautiful layers.

Devoid of paint, and the tensioner that caused him some issues last year, Addison is ready for a rowdy and dry time.  Built with one goal in mind, going fast, Addison’s bike is built with a mix of Zipp, Quarq and SRAM road parts, this eccentric bottom bracket bike can be run as a single speed or a geared bike for any situation.

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The Northern Frameworks Process
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

While Minneapolis might not be on everyone’s list for travel plans in the middle of winter, mine was a little bit different.  You see, I wanted to finalize some stuff for an upcoming build of mine.  I took the opportunity while in the fridged midwest to spend some time getting a fit at Angry Catfish catching up with friends, and documenting some of the build processes that go into a custom Northern Frameworks.

Alex Cook started building bike under the name A-Train a few years ago now and honed his craft to the point at which the collaboration with Angry Catfish was born, which is Northern Frameworks.  Each Northern Frameworks is built around custom geometry for the rider and comes in a stock color palette to simplify the process and allow Alex to make his bikes the best they can be.  Tight miters, sharp tungsten and a steady hand are apparent in his welds and a meticulous work ethic which I watched first hand.  I have to admit it was great to watch someone who cares so much about their craft, work. Inside of  Alex’s shop, he has a backlog of builds but keeps the lead times small thanks to the process he’s developed with his time behind the torch.  If you’re interested in your own bike, give him a shout.

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Chris Kvale Minneapolis Studio Visit
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Chris Kvale is a humble perfectionist, every stroke of his file and pass of his torch honed the last forty years.  When I walked into Kvale’s studio, I couldn’t hold my focus, everywhere I looked there was something that snapped my attention away from what I was gazing at moments prior.

2017 Philly Bike Expo: Stanridge Speed
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, Intro by John Watson and Words by Adam from Stanridge Speed

When modern builders utilize NOS tubing from the late 80’s, the results are more often than not, mind-blowing. Take this Stanridge Speed road bike from this year’s Philly Bike Expo. As soon as I saw it, I knew Adam had selected Gilco tubing (or is it?), yet there’s much more to the story, of which I’ll let Adam do the talking.

Adam, can you tell me about the Philly Bike Expo road bike? I’m suspecting there’s more than meets the eye here…

“I built the bike in conjunction with 7th and Park in Brownsville. It’s part of a larger project consisting of six available tubesets we’re making into frames. Three track and Three road. All the sets are NOS from the tail end of the golden era of steel in 1986. Most of the tubes are date coded. Columbus etched the iconic Dove and born on dates in the tubes in an effort to reduce false advertising by unscrupulous builders during this era. The story goes, builders in the 1980’s masked the imprinted doves on the tubing only to reveal the mark after the painting process.

How does this tubeset feel? Do you think it ever had the slightest idea these components would be hung from its bones… Ha. Too much time alone at the workbench I guess.”

Now that’s a story!

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Engin Cycles Ti Mountain Hardtail
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, words by John Watson

Drew from Engin is a framebuilding prodigy, a master of the chainstay yoke and arguably, the maker of the finest mountain bikes in the USA, perhaps the world. His advances in mountain bike design have spiked the well of the industry, pushing the envelope of geometry and detailing. All of this is ATMO, of course, but having been a longtime dan of Drew’s work, it’s amazing to see how flawlessly he’s adapted to the changing and sometimes harsh ecosystem of the cycling industry.

Drew designs, prototypes and machines his own yokes and dropouts from titanium. He then welds them together for a beautiful frame with a unique bottom bracket cluster that allows for the use of a standard q-factor crank. It’s easy to overlook these details, even on such a simple frame, yet as we’ve all heard before “God is in the details…”

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Gallus Cycles Rando Bike
Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk

Jeremy from Gallus Cycles brought his personal randonneur bike painted in vintage Ford Playboy Pink, by Black Magic Paint.  It features some fresh details, including a front rack with detachable low riders and a quick release decaleur, all made by Jeremy. A SON connector-less dyanamo hub provides power to both front and rear lights via internal wire routing.

Built with a mix of NOS Suntour XC Sport Components, Paul Component Racer Brakes, and a René Herse cranks this S&S Coupled masterpiece can go anywhere and have fun while you’re there.  Jeremy built this bike up leading into Philly Bike Expo this year and was even able to get some quality time on it before the show.

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Moots Mooto X RSL
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, words by John Watson

Moots is one of those brands that just oozes brand clout and rightfully so. Their titanium frames are built to the highest standards and are built to last a lifetime. The Mooto X RSL is designed with speed in mind. A true singletrack slayer, the Mooto X RSL has a modern race geometry, with the feel of titanium, designed to tackle any XC course.

At this year’s Philly Bike Expo, Moots brought their catalog build of the newest Mooto X RSL, laced with gold Tune components, matching logos and Shimano XTR Di2, this bike relies on its pedigree, in a sea of flashy show bikes.

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Peacock Groove Track Bike
Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk

Going into Philly Bike Expo I was looking forward to seeing what Eric Noren of Peacock Groove brought, especially since he brought the peoples choice bike last year. This S&S Coupled track bike, was on display having just been ridden to a second place at Madison Nationals by Tiana Johnson, did not let me down!

This bike featured a HED Jet 9 wheelset, one of Noren’s own Peacock Groove headsets and some of the wildest splatter paint, all finished off with Peacock Groove’s signature dropouts. There’s one thing for sure, the Liberace of bike builders didn’t let me down this year.

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Winter Bicycles All Weather Commuter
Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk

Eric Estlund, master metal manipulator of Winter Bicycles makes beautiful frames, racks and stems by hand, one-at-a-time in his central Pennsylvania headquarters.  Designed around his concept that you should be able to ride all year long, in all weather this commuter bike was built with a matching set of Winter-built-racks front and rear, fillet-brazed stem and a color matched Ruth Works Ultralight Porteur bag.

With durability in mind for daily commuting, Eric built a White Industries/SON wheelset and mounted some fenders.  The frame was built with direct mount Paul Racer brakes in mind and finished with some beautiful top eyes, all filed by hand, coming into the Philly Bike Expo.  I think this bike is a great example of an everyday workhorse of a bicycle that is both utilitarian and elegant at the same time.

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Pedalino CNC-Fillet Cross Bike
Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk

Julie Ann Pedalino spent ten years working as a fine artist, making a switch over to building bikes some time ago. From a distance, the Spray-Bike paint job pulls you in and from there, her CNC-fillet lugs (which change with every one of her creations) draw you in closer on the bike. These lugs are wild, with some details that are hand carved further.

It isn’t just a show bike, even with all of the exposed ornate lugs it will be getting raced this year Elizabeth Reinkordt as a tribute bike to her family with 3 generations of cyclists, going back to her grandmother, who was touring by bicycle in the 1940s. While on display at Philly Bike Expo, there was a storyboard with some photos of the tour. The lugs and the colors of the bike draw inspiration from the wildflowers and sunset of her home state, Nebraska.  With a mix of  SRAM Force 1, Thomson cockpit, and some polished adornments from Paul Component by way of their Set N’ Forget through axles and QR seat collar, you can bet that this bike will be around for seasons of abuse.

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2017 Philly Bike Expo: Richard Sachs Candy Red Road Bike
Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk

I remember this first time I had heard about Richard Sachs and his work.  I was 16,  flipping through some cycling magazines and a co-worker of mine at the time,  Em ( a much older and wiser person with over 30 years experience in the industry) told me to put them down and learn about Richard Sachs, stating that a Richard Sachs would be the only bike she could love.

This romanticised bikes in a way for me and I began to appreciate bikes with a bit more panache than the mountain bikes I grew up riding.  Fast forward a few years, and I’ve seen many bikes,  but this candy red Richard Sachs caught my eye from across the PBE show floor.  From the symmetric headtube logo to the dropouts, to one of the most beautiful seat-tube clusters.  I am blown away by just how beautiful each detail is up close.  The bike as a whole is a work of art and elegance, from a builder that we are lucky enough to experience in this lifetime. ATMO

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