While Josh was at Bespoked, John was down in Melbourne at the MADE Bike Show Australia and compiled a few galleries from the event. Let’s check out a bike gallery loaded with heaps of details below!
“Old Man Mountain”
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Radar
Existential Safety: Leatt at 20 – A Conversation with Dain Zaffke
We’re trying something new here at The Radavist. We have been exploring various ways to keep providing free, top-notch photography, reviews, news, and Reportage to our audience, and sponsored content is one way to keep the lights on and the bills paid. We’re unwilling to compromise your trust, so we pledge to always operate with the utmost integrity and be fully transparent about any spon-con on the site.
Full disclosure: this article was supported by Leatt. If you’d like to keep the Radavist independent, please consider joining the Group Ride today – a monthly or yearly subscription is the best way to support the longest-running alternative cycling website.
Whew! Now that that’s out of the way… Our newly-minted Copy Editor, regular Radavist contributor Nicholas Haig-Arack, recently caught up with Leatt’s Dain Zaffke to learn about the brand’s history and discuss matters of safety, both physical and existential. Let’s begin with an intro to Leatt…
Reportage
2024 Bespoked UK Handmade Bicycle Show Part 01: BTR Fabrications, Clandestine, Condor, Craft Bikes, Sour, Sturdy, Ted James Design, Hex Components, Tailfin, and Buxumbox
With both 2024 Bespoked UK and MADE Australia taking place over the same weekend, we’ve got an action-packed week of event recaps ahead. First up, Josh is in Manchester, England, reporting from the historic Victoria Baths with the first group of stunning bikes and products from BTR Fabrications, Clandestine, Condor, Craft Bikes, Sour, Sturdy, Ted James Design, Hex Components, Tailfin, and Buxumbox. Let’s dive right in below!
Reportage
Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo: Telling the True Story Through Photography
Do event photos tell the true story? Do they just remind us of a cool day on the bike that we can show off on social media? Or can they tell a different story, one we might not even know was taking place? Within the context of the Lu Lacka Wyco Hundo gravel cycling event, photographer Abe Landes wonders what role event photos play in telling the true story of the ride. Cyclist Brian Biggs has some thoughts…
Radar
Review: Wolf Tooth EnCase Hand Pumps – Hidden Pleasures
We got our hands on the latest from Wolf Tooth: its all-new EnCase Hand Pumps (40 cc $64.95, 85 cc $69.95), announced today. A few of our team members have had these in our packs and strapped to our frames for a month or so and pulled together a review. Read on for John’s take on these nifty pumps…
Reportage
Ibis Cycles Ripley Review: A First-Timer’s Crash Course in Riding Full Suspension
Before getting to test ride an Ibis Cycles Ripley, Hailey Moore was pretty sure she’d never own a full-suspension bike. Now her feelings are, well, a little squishier. Read on for Hailey’s reflections on how riding a full-suspension mountain bike for the first time challenged her identity as a cyclist and furthered her mountain biking progression.
Reportage
On the Trail of Ancient Civilizations in the Peruvian Andes
As Ryan Wilson continues his bike tour south from Colombia to Chile, he runs into the beginning of Peru’s infamous storm season. Follow along as Ryan has a few close calls in a region that was home to one of the earliest civilizations in the Peruvian Andes.
Reportage
Sincio De Acero: A Shop Visit and Showcase at Santander, Spain’s La Pindia
When Tomi opened his shop, La Pindia, he decided to throw a one-day bike show with framebuilders from all over the Iberian Peninsula. Due to the shop’s focus on handcrafted bikes, over a dozen bikes from various makers were brought to show the state of the craft within the region. Learn about the framebuilding community of Northern Spain and what ties them all together, and don’t miss some amazing bespoke builds.
Radar
All New DT Swiss 1200 MTB Carbon Wheelsets: Spare No Expense
Today, DT Swiss launches the sexiest carbon mountain bike wheels they (or maybe anyone) have ever produced. The updated XRC 1200, XMC 1200, EXC 1200, and HXC 1200 feature more than just brand new asymmetric, front/rear-specific rims constructed using a brand new process. They’re also laced to a freshly updated family of flagship hubs with unique spokes that emerged from literally centuries of development. Travis covers all the little details, and defends all the big price tags.
Reportage
Lorenzo’s Custom Pedretti Pista: A San Diego Spritz
The following is a story of friendship, art, and feelings. It’s the story of a custom Pedretti Pista Spritz with a special appearance from a legendary Brian Baylis-painted Holland Cycles track bike.
San Diego, California has a rich cycling history. The city and surrounding region have varied terrain and year-round temperate weather, inviting a range of cycling disciplines from track to mountain. While the 1970s and 80s were perhaps the city’s golden age for road and track racing, strong local contingencies keep the legacy alive.
Our friends Jon Pucci and Lorenzo Romagnoli are two such aficionados. Collectors, tinkerers, artists, and (some would say) style icons, the duo share an affinity for modern classics and often focus their passion on restoring neglected frames to their former glory. And sometimes, they take on new builds…
Radar
Starling Cycles Relaunches and Redefines Its Framesets
Framesets are Starling Cycles’ frame-only collection. They’re the roots of what the UK makers create as a custom, handmade framebuilder and the best-selling side of its business. Sure, they offer custom builds, too, but the framesets keep the lights on at Starling, so to speak.
This caused a moment of pause with how they market these bikes. The frameset relaunch’s intent is to create a clear and concise purpose for each frameset, let’s check out where they landed…
Reportage
Inside Paul Brodie’s Shop: a Lifetime of Tinkering
A lifetime of tinkering has led to some very interesting work out of Paul Brodie’s backyard shop, from influential early mountain bike designs to motorcycles made from the ground up. In advance of Brodie’s 40th Anniversary show in Vancouver BC this weekend, Morgan Taylor visited Paul’s shop to take a peek at the multitude of in-progress projects.
Reportage
Temple Cycles Road 2 Review: The Future Vintage Steel
After an extended hiatus from riding a dedicated road bike, Hailey Moore dips back into the category with a review of UK-based Temple Cycles Road 2. Read on for Hailey’s thoughts on this neo-classic with future vintage ambitions…
Reportage
Otso Cycles Hoot Ti Review: Titanium Hardtail Gets the Last Laugh
Launching today, the Hoot Ti from Otso Cycles is the brand’s first foray into designing a truly modern and progressive hardtail mountain bike. Built around 140 mm of front suspension with short 425mm chainstays across all sizes, the Hoot is meant for demanding trail riding yet is playful enough for riders who like to get airborne. It’s an evolution of where the brand, which has been innovating since day one, is going while also showcasing its ability to deploy new technologies to solve challenging design problems.
Josh has put considerable mileage on the new Hoot over the past few weeks, both in his usual testing grounds of southern Arizona and a big week in the steep mountains of northern New Mexico. Continue reading below for Josh’s review of the Hoot and a peek inside Otso’s Minneapolis, MN-based operations.
Radar
John’s Summer 2024 Product Picks: Ten Items That Cause Pause
Wow! It’s already almost Summer. On a particularly cool and wet morning in Santa Fe, John wrapped up his Summer 2024 Product Picks list, showcasing ten items he’s been enjoying in everyday life and on big backcountry rides this year…
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Daniel’s Trek 830 Monster Track Double Converted ATB
The internet can be a valuable tool for problem-solving vintage conversions. Its users have often figured out compatibility issues or clever hacks to get you to your desired goal. That’s the case with Daniel and his vintage Trek 830, that he converted to a drop bar gravel bike. Let’s check it out!
Reportage
Weedsac 2024: Homegrown New Mexico Fun
Veteran Radavist contributor and professional kickstand enthusiast Cjell Monē is back with reportage on a homegrown event in beautiful New Mexico. Buy the ticket, take the ride, and enjoy the heady aroma of the WeedSac.
Reportage
Things I Wish I Knew Before Planning My First International Bike Tour
Over the last eight years, Ryan Wilson has been traveling all over the world by bike on an extended tour and has learned plenty of lessons planning trips along the way. Below, Ryan dives into some of the most frequent questions that people ask when they’re looking to plan their first bike tour.