Jarrod’s Northern Frameworks Copper Hardtail in the Mountains of LA

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Jarrod’s Northern Frameworks Copper Hardtail in the Mountains of LA

We took a quick look at this bike once before – during our 2018 NAHBS coverage – but it’s back, with a vengeance! This Northern Frameworks hardtail belongs to Jarrod Bunk, one of the authors here at the Radavist. Who knows Jarrod? Show of hands. Ok yeah, he’s a popular fellow and he finally made it across the United States from Western Pennsylvania to as far west as you can go to California. He has been in town for the week to see Kyle and Liz get married and to get a taste of what it’s like to ride mountains here in SoCal.

Problem is, to enjoy it a little more, he had to switch the bike from singlespeed to geared.

No. 22 Launch No. 6 Composites Forks Including a 700x45mm Clearance All Road

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No. 22 Launch No. 6 Composites Forks Including a 700x45mm Clearance All Road

You might have caught this in this weekend’s NAHBS coverage but No. 22 have launched a new composites line dubbed No. 6 and with that launch come three new fork options: an all road fork, a disc road fork, and a rim brake road fork. Each fork has minimal branding and a sleek profile to fit your frame, but their all road fork really caught my eye. With clearance for a 45mm tire, 50mm rake, 382mm axle to crown, fender mounts, and barely there branding, these forks will be a surefire hit with builders. See more at No. 6 Composites.

A First Look at Thomson’s New Titanium All Road Bike and New Titanium Seatpost

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A First Look at Thomson’s New Titanium All Road Bike and New Titanium Seatpost

Perhaps you recall Thomson making bikes with Lynskey a few years back? Those US made frames were a unique move for the component manufacturer and even though they didn’t sell a ton of the collaboration bikes, it set a precedent for the brand, prompting this project. Yesterday, I met Mike from Thomson, who was in town en route to NAHBS in Sacramento. Mike was unpacking and building up this flashy titanium bike when I saw the Thomson logo on the downtube. While it looks like a polished, finished product, this frame is, in fact, a working prototype. Not the first Thomson bike, but one of the first bikes Thomson has developed to be made overseas in Taiwan.

Duncan From Transit Cycles’ Black Cat All Road

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Duncan From Transit Cycles’ Black Cat All Road

After spending close to a month in Tucson, I got a good handle on what the cycling community is like in that wonderful city. Well, in the winter anyway, summer is another story. One place I found myself stopping by frequently for events is Transit Cycles. With Spencer’s gallery being one of my favorite Shop Visits on this site, I didn’t feel it necessary to completely revisit Transit, photographically. While they did move to a new location since Spencer’s piece, many of the vignettes and textures are still relevant to Transit’s modus operandi. I did, however, feel compelled to check out their new space and hit some highlights, and as the title implies, to shoot the owner, Duncan’s, Black Cat All Road.

Matt’s Crust Bikes What-Would-Weigle-Do – Jarrod Bunk

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Matt’s Crust Bikes What-Would-Weigle-Do – Jarrod Bunk

Matt’s Crust Bikes What-Would-Weigle-Do
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Matt’s brain – the owner/operator/designer for Crust Bikes – always has rats spinning on a hamster wheel. His affinity for the modern randonneur is apparent in a lot of the bikes he designs.  What does a person who could essentially develop any conceivable bicycle that their hearts do, well they start with a simple question? What would Weigle do?  Call it an homage or a cap nod to the  Concours de Machines that Peter Weigle made a few years ago, the top tube and downtube are cut from longer butted tubes and only the thin-walled center section is used. Matt is a lighter rider so he can afford to run this type of tube set without worry. Fabricated by Darrin Larkin in LA, this is one of one and it’s a beautiful example of pushing the custom bike limit especially when built around a smaller rider.

The build kit is compiled of a lot of René Herse, Compass and of course Honjo fenders, as well as a Chris King Hub/Headset, Ti Record Post and a Berthoud saddle.  Yeah, the bike is really light, of course, and there are ways to make it even lighter. Your eyes don’t deceive you there are no bolts in the rear posts, that’s cause the posts are flared. Does anyone have any guesses on the weight?

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Follow Crust Bikes on Instagram, and Jarrod on Instagram

John’s Crust Bikes Dreamer is An All Road Light Tourer

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John’s Crust Bikes Dreamer is An All Road Light Tourer

I love bourbon but over a year and a half ago, I quit drinking, so my love for the brown Kentucky whiskey has been put on hold. Last year when I drove up to Portland to shoot the bikes of the Chris King Open House, the team there hooked me up with a set of their ultra limited Bourbon hubs and headset as a thank you for shooting 19 bikes for them. When this color was teased at NAHBS, almost three years ago, my head imploded. No matter what I could do, however, Chris King said that Bourbon wouldn’t be a color in their catalog. Something about not being able to get the color consistent. Bummer! They did however, have a small batch aging in their archives. When I was gifted the Bourbon parts, I had to make a bike worthy of such a kit.

Caletti Ultra Light Rando Roadie – Chris Corona

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Caletti Ultra Light Rando Roadie – Chris Corona

Caletti Ultra Light Rando Roadie
Photos and words by Chris Corona

Lately, I have been doing longer mixed distances with a camera, sandwich and a couple of extra layers of clothing. I have a couple bikes that are great for cross riding but nothing that really fits the bill for 80-120 mile (mostly road with some dirt) rides that I’ve grown accustomed to. In late July, I approached John Caletti with a concept to create a bike that is on the ultralight touring side of road bikes.

The Top 10 Beautiful Bicycles of 2018

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The Top 10 Beautiful Bicycles of 2018

We shoot a lot of bikes here on the Radavist. A lot. From my estimates, including tradeshows, and events like the Chris King Open House, or the Moots’ Employee Bikes, and even the Speedvagen Build Off, we shot 220 or so bikes in 2018. That’s a lot of bikes. A lot of details. A lot of component selection, build styles, and uses. From road, to mountain, and everything in between, noting the permutations that exist in this ever-so-special era in the cycling industry, I really feel like we’ve shown you just about everything you could see this year.

Out of those 220 bikes, I looked at the data in the form of traffic metrics, social chatter, and comments to pick the Top 10 Beautiful Bicycles of 2018. While many bikes had a lot of comments, some had higher traffic or social media shares. Compiling all the numbers, a very compelling list was formed. Not included in this lot are bike reviews, of which Morgan’s review of the Midnight Special and Kyle’s review of his Chubby Cosmic Stallion took the highest metrics from all others on this list. I guess they’re in a league of their own!

At any rate, check out the complete Top 10 Beautiful Bicycles of 2018, in no particular order, below!

Bikes, Bags, and USA Made Tags: Bedrock Bags

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Bikes, Bags, and USA Made Tags: Bedrock Bags

Bikes, Bags, and USA Made Tags: Bedrock Bags
Photos and words by Kyle Kelley

One of Liz and my stops along the great American Bike Shop Tour of 2017 was Bedrock Bags in Durango, Colorado. A larger than life operation, in a very small space, boasting that they “make the best bikepacking gear on the market.” And when I mean small…I mean small, at first I had no clue how everyone worked in this small space at the same time, but as Joey Ernst, one of the owners, and Tae Hillyer, the production manager, and I chatted about the business I began to understand. This space had been thought out in the same tailored, tight, and clean aesthetic as all of their bags. Just like you don’t want your knees rubbing your framebag, everyone at Bedrock Bags had created a very workable space with no elbow rubbing in a very small, but very efficient corridor.

So you know your knees aren’t going to be rubbing one of their framebags.

Inside / Out at Horse Cycles

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Inside / Out at Horse Cycles

Inside / Out at Horse Cycles

Photos by Ian Matteson, words by Kevin McClelland from ENVE

The Idea for this bike and trip transpired from a casual conversation at NAHBS in Hartford.  I approached Thomas from Horse Cycles at his stunning booth filled with some of my favorite bikes at the the show and we began talking about the yet to be released ENVE Gravel Fork and Gravel Bar. Thomas quickly started to show me photos of his freshly built cabin in Upstate New York surrounded by a beautiful landscape littered with some amazing gravel roads. That was the moment I knew I wanted to get out to New York for some riding with him and I knew I wanted it to be on a Horse Frame.

2018 Philly Bike Expo: Altruiste Plump Watermelon Pump Track Bike – Jarrod Bunk

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2018 Philly Bike Expo: Altruiste Plump Watermelon Pump Track Bike – Jarrod Bunk

2018 Philly Bike Expo: Altruiste Plump Watermelon Pump Track Bike
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

Altruiste made quite the splash at NAHBS this year with their Best MTB and Best In Show for their Fundy, but I remember seeing this bike hanging from a stand wondering where the rest of the parts were, it turns out they were getting dunked in the anodizing tanks of Asheville. Paul Component, White Industries, and Industry 9 came together to create some very special faded parts that compliment this plump pump track bike.

If you’re able to check out Industry 9’s facility you may see the lucky owner shredding the pump track on their lunch break.

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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and Altruiste  on Instagram

Building on Legacy: Eriksen Cycles and Bingham Built

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Building on Legacy: Eriksen Cycles and Bingham Built

Mountain towns with thriving ski scenes often benefit from a strong cycling presence to keep the economy alive during warmer months. Take Steamboat Springs, Colorado for instance. With a heavy snow sports presence and a healthy bike scene, the town is able to maintain tourism capital year round. This growth, however, was piecemeal, with one man doing the cycling community a great service by moving to this sleepy little Colorado town, forever changing the cycling community. Not just in Colorado either! His work rippled throughout the world… That man is Kent Eriksen.

In 1975 Kent Eriksen moved to Steamboat and in 1980 he started Sore Saddle Cyclery and Moots Bicycles with the help of several business partners. Kent didn’t just want to make bicycle frames, he wanted to innovate bicycle frame production. While it was summer, Sore Saddle kept the people of Steamboat rolling, and during the slow winter months, Moots production ramped up, to help secure the financial feasibility of Sore Saddle Cyclery. It was a unique business model and one that ensured the success of Moots.

Blazing Trails and Ripping Hardtails with Blaze Bicycles!

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Blazing Trails and Ripping Hardtails with Blaze Bicycles!

Blazing Trails and Ripping Hardtails with Blaze Bicycles!
Photos and words by Kyle Kelley

Pierre Chastain, the owner and fabricator at Blaze Bicycles, has been building bikes for over 10 years now. I’m not sure if this makes him a veteran or a rookie in this day and age, but I’m leaning towards veteran. Pierre knows what he likes, he also knows what he is good at, and this is how I know he has his shit together. Pierre started building bikes in Venice, California but has since moved to Moab, Utah where he lives and works today. When he first arrived in Utah, he partnered with Chris Hill at Moab Classic Bike. This was the beginning of what would become the Blaze Bicycles empire – I’m not sure it’s an empire, but it sure sounds good! Today Pierre is the sole owner of the bike shop, now branded Bike Fiend, where they concentrate heavily on getting people on these beautiful bikes made in the town they love.

A fun fact about Blaze Bicycles before I continue: Firemen love Blaze Bicycles.