There aren’t many modern bicycle brands that have a history quite as rich as Yeti, let alone a diehard cult following of collectors and fans for the early bikes. Coming into a steel F.R.O or Yeti Ultimate is usually enough to be considered a “Holy Grail” find for most. However, there is another bike in the early Yeti lineup that is so rare many will never see one in person and more modern followers of the brand may not know even exists. This is the story of an elusive Yeti Tree Frog…
“Old Man Mountain”
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The Dust-Up: We Need A Better Way to Measure MTB Seat-Tube Angle
Today’s edition of The Dust-Up is a nerdy little tour through the world of effective seat-tube angles. Travis Engel thinks that the way we measure them is a little … obtuse. That number on your bike’s geometry chart may not mean what you think it means. He informs his opinions by talking to some mountain bike brands who are taking a fresh look at this deceptively complex dimension.
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Radar Roundup: Sour Bad Granny Limited Run, Gorewear Winter, RiG’d UltraTable, Cane Creek Coil/Air Tigon Shock, Rapha Explore Expanded, Wolf Tooth Morse Cargo Cages Reup, Master Bike Builder Show Interviews, and Downtube Shifters in 2023?!
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Reportage
Curtis Inglis and His Retrotec Twin Top Tube Funduro 140mm Hardtail 29er
While Curtis Inglis from Retrotec Cycles was in Santa Fe, John took along a camera for some of their rides and documented Curtis’ new twin top tube Funduro. This 140mm-travel hardtail 29er is one that Curtis built for himself to display at the 2023 MADE bike show and was the perfect choice for sampling Santa Fe’s side country riding.
Curtis and his bike undertook one of the more technical rides in the Southern Rockies, and John was there to document it all. Check out a stunning gallery of the bike and the singletrack that makes Santa Fe such a great MTB destination below!
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The Ten Best Horror Films for Adventure Cyclists
Just like the rows of bagged candy at your grocery store, or the fountains of pumpkin spice latte at your coffee shop, you can’t escape Halloween once October hits. Not even here at The Radavist. Travis Engel has jumped on the spooky-season bandwagon with a list of scary movies (and one scary short film) that will strike a nerve for anyone who likes riding to the middle of nowhere…
Reportage
John’s Restoration of a 1983 Ritchey Everest With a “Touring Package”
Forever tinkering with his bikes, John recently wrapped up a complete restoration of the 1983 Ritchey Everest that we looked at last year. Remember? The gray one? The bike appeared to have been subjected to a sloppy respray at some point in the early 2000s, and John wanted to restore the bike to its formal glory.
He pinged Rick at D&D, the guy who has painted more Ritchey frames than perhaps anyone, to respray the Everest in Imron Bright Gold paint with the uber-rare Palo Alto Ritchey decals to finish the look. The Everest also had a “touring package” added when Tom built the frame in 1983. Since John acquired it, the Everest has always felt a bit naked without the proper racks…
We know John’s posted a lot of vintage projects over the past few years, but this might be the best yet! Let’s check it out below…
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First Ride Review: PNW Components Loam Carbon Handlebar
With so many options for handlebars these days, it’s difficult to stand out in a crowded market. With their new Loam Carbon Handlebar, PNW Components claims they have achieved the optimal combination of compliance, comfort, strength, and value. Available today, the Loam Handlebar is offered in either 38mm or 25mm rise, trimmable 800mm width, and 35mm clamp diameter. Josh and Andrea recently installed the Loam bars on her Ibis Ripmo and, below, offer an overview and first ride impressions…
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Radar Roundup: Massacan Paula Gravel Bike, Rivendell MUSA Pants, SON Edelux USB-FL Sneak Peek, Rogue Panda Ultra 200X Bags, Quirk Titanium Seatpost, BTP Bar Tape, Good Company, and International SingleSpeed Day is Coming!
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
Reportage
Cycling the World With McKenzie Barney Part 2
In Part One of her Cycling the World story, McKenzie Barney wrote about going all-in on bike touring after an introduction to unsupported two-wheeled travel in Vietnam led to a months-long ride down the length of Africa. In Part Two, she picks up the thread in recounting her solitary rides across New Zealand, Australia and South America.
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Radar Roundup: Cotic Jeht Gen2, Chris King and Robert Axle Project, Ratio 2×12 SH Kit, Rodeo Labs Traildonkey 4.0, Brompton C Line Hot Pink Returns, MW Radius Winter Tights, Bikes or Death 165
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
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The Rough Road Renegade: Introducing the Curve GMX+ Steel
Is it a drop-bar mountain bike? A gravel rig on ‘roids? Or a bike from another dimension? When it comes to codifying bikes these days, it’s really easy to get really lost (real quick). However, once in a while, a bike comes along that challenges the norm, flips the bird to conventional geo numbers, and stands alone: not as an outlier, but as an original. Sam Rice has been test riding Curve Cycling‘s long-awaited GMX+ and shares his thoughts on why it isn’t “just another touring bike” below, along with a look at their updated Seek 430 FM carbon fork.
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Radar Roundup: Don’t Miss the Velo Cosmos Show, Caletti Photo Show, Fish Ski 6-Pack, High Above Dyneema Hip Pack, Bullitt and Cinelli, Fat Tire and Dangle Supply, Trackers!, Bike Story Night with Alexandra Houchin, PEdALED Jary Collection 23, and Rémy Métailler Rides Portal
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
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Readers’ Rides: David’s Fairlight Strael 3.0 All-Road
We joke sometimes that fixed gears were the gateway drug for cyclists, leading them to geared bikes like road, gravel, mountain, and touring bikes. David shares with us his journey from fixed riding to his latest bike, a Fairlight Strael 3.0 All-Road. Let’s check it out below!
Reportage
Welcome to the Neighborhood: Treehouse Cyclery Opens in Denver’s Five Points
The door is freshly painted on the corner of Downing Street and 30th in the northeast Denver, Colorado neighborhood of Five Points. Behind the new blue facade, light washes in to reveal high ceilings and smooth wooden floors—heavily polished over time by both varnish and foot traffic. The rest of the space has that just-righted tidiness of a host’s house before a dinner party: intentional, inviting and immaculate. It’s an old building with a new idea, but Treehouse Cyclery isn’t its first bike shop.
Read on for Hailey Moore‘s shop visit to Denver’s newest, community-focused, bike shop: Treehouse Cyclery.
Radar
Room For One Less: An e*thirteen Helix Race 9-52 12-Speed Cassette Review
When modern wide-range cassettes first hit the market, it was the giant 50-tooth (and now 52-tooth) cogs that grabbed all the headlines. But 1X drivetrains arguably wouldn’t have taken over if it weren’t for the 10-tooth cog down at the other end of the stack. That’s how brands can claim their 500, 510 and 520-percent gear ranges. Still, it wasn’t enough for e*thirteen. They introduced a lineup of cassettes with 9-tooth cogs, allowing for lighter, more compact setups with as much as 556-percent range.
And then, earlier this year, they introduced a 12-speed cassette that spanned from 9 teeth to 52 teeth, netting a 578-percent range. Travis Engel had to get his hands on one, but not for his mountain bike. He wanted it for his multi-headed beast of a gravel, touring and bikepacking bike. Range is king if you can’t (or won’t) run a front derailleur. But is one less tooth worth bowing down to?
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Radar Roundup: New Revel Rover Colors, Sklar PBJ Pre-Order, Cycling the World Film Tour, Philly Bike Expo Inclusivity Scholarship, and From Surfer To Cyclist
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
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Putting The Guarantee To The Test: WTB CZR i30 Wheelset Review
WTB’s CZR I30 wheelset touts some hefty claims with their line of carbon rims, but most importantly a lifetime “while riding” rim replacement policy. It’s a quite handy thing to guarantee because, don’t you just know it, Spencer Harding broke a carbon rim again. Below, Spencer outlines the ins and outs of the WTB CZR i30 wheelset, where it stands in the field or carbon wheelsets, and how the WTB rim replacement process works.
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Readers’ Rides: Alessandro’s Nevi Italian Titanium Vintage MTB
Today’s Readers’ Rides features a wonderful example of an Italian mountain bike brand called Nevi and was sent in by Alessandro who shared a bit about himself, his journey through cycling, and this sick build. Let’s check it out!