Casual Women’s Cycling Shorts Round-Up: Rapha Explore Shorts, ORNOT Women’s Mission Short, Fjallraven S/F Rider’s Hybrid Short and Ripton Diesel Jorts

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Casual Women’s Cycling Shorts Round-Up: Rapha Explore Shorts, ORNOT Women’s Mission Short, Fjallraven S/F Rider’s Hybrid Short and Ripton Diesel Jorts

For the start of summer, Hailey Moore shares a brief review of four casual women’s cycling short options: the Rapha Women’s Explore Shorts, ORNOT Women’s Mission Short, Fjällräven S/F Rider’s Hybrid Short and Ripton Diesel Jorts. Find your new warm-weather uniform for on and off the bike! 

A Look at Rapha’s New Powerweave Explore Gravel Shoes

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A Look at Rapha’s New Powerweave Explore Gravel Shoes

In my opinion, you don’t need racing shoes to do rides. Back when we started riding ‘cross bikes on singletrack and fire roads, the only real options were stiff ‘cross racing shoes. Footwear tech and ideologies have come a long way since with the case in point being the latest from the Rapha apparel line, the Powerweave Explore Gravel Shoes. I’ve been lucky enough to get my grubby hands on a pair to check out and post up a quick first impressions review of these beautiful shoes.

Rapha’s New Classic, Explore, and Pro Team Sunglasses

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Rapha’s New Classic, Explore, and Pro Team Sunglasses

Classic, sporty, and modern. The three new sunglasses models from Rapha launched today. The Classic sports a simple silhouette, inspired by Wayfarers and other icons, while the Explore utilizes a modern, full-frame protective design, and the Pro Team offers two options: frameless or full-frame, for full-on performance protection. Head to Rapha to check out more details. Pricing starts at $125.

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Rapha Films Presents | Migration

Rapha Films presents Migration, a documentary about the Migration Gravel Race, a four-day, 650km offroad bike race in the Maasai Mara. Created by Team AMANI and marshalled by local Maasai, the Migration attracts the best gravel bike athletes in the world.

This film explores the importance of the event to Team AMANI and their Black Mamba Development Squad; and how they are building the sport in East Africa, nurturing the next generation of endurance athletes on two wheels. Focusing on the riders of Team AMANI and Black Mambas, Migration is an insight into the work of AMANI and how this incredible race is symbolic of the Team’s character and ambition.

Rapha: Desire Discrimination Determination – Black Champions in Cycling

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Rapha: Desire Discrimination Determination – Black Champions in Cycling

Black Champions in Cycling is a book that explores and analyzes in detail the rich and often overlooked history of Black cyclists. A world expert in the history and life of Black cycling champions, former elite racer and academic, Dr Marlon Moncrieffe, combines his own elite racing experience with that of several other contributors. The first book of its kind, this collection of stories, personal reflections and interviews with historical icons of sport and current agents of change, addresses the essential questions of access, diversity, inclusion and of representation. Exploring how figures such as Major Taylor and Maurice Burton discovered cycling, the book sheds light on the mentors who encouraged them to pursue their ambitions as well as the explicit and implicit forms of discrimination they faced. From the first non-white rider to compete in the Tour de France in 1914 to the Black cyclists who push the boundaries today, discover how the determination to succeed despite discrimination defined the careers of these great athletes.

Includes interviews with:

Major Taylor, Kittie Knox, David Weller, Maurice Burton, Russell Williams, Nelson Vails, Justin and Cory Williams, Gregory Bauge, Rashaan Bahati, Kevin Reza, Tre Whyte, Shanaze Reade, David Clarke, Ceylin del Carmen Alvarado, Nicholas Dlamini, between others.

In stock now at Rapha.

Rapha’s 2020 Men’s and Women’s Bib Short Catalog

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Rapha’s 2020 Men’s and Women’s Bib Short Catalog

For 2020, Rapha compiled an extensive guide for their men’s and women’s bib shorts, offering something for every rider. It doesn’t matter if you pine for twisting paved roads, or prefer to ride off the beaten path. From the Classic to the Pro to the Explore Cargo, these shorts are designed for every sort of drop bar riding. The women’s Detachable Bib Shots go one step further and add functionality to the age-old problem of nature breaks for women. Most of you are aware of these bib short models, but if you’re not, check it out at Rapha. Honestly, we really wanted to share this imagery from the product shoot more than anything, so check it out below.

The Radavist Product Awards and Top Ten Articles of 2023

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The Radavist Product Awards and Top Ten Articles of 2023

While our favorite stories are always ride and event coverage, people love flocking to The Radavist for our opinion on products. We view ourselves as the bike industry’s press corps, offering nuanced takes on hot items each year, while pushing back ever so slightly on the long arm of the industry’s marketing. This year, we cracked a lot of hard nuts but walked away with some compelling products—some of which deserve extra recognition—all while deciphering the world of bikes we know and love, and penning opinion pieces that garnered lots of eyes throughout the past twelve months.

Let’s check out The Radavist Product Awards and our Top 10 Articles of 2023 below!

Ryan’s Favorite Products of 2023

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Ryan’s Favorite Products of 2023

Over the years I’ve slowly tinkered with my touring setup to really nail down which pieces of kit work best for the type of riding I do and where I’m heading next.  I’m always looking for new products that are versatile in terms of the climate and terrain they can be used on, and most importantly I want them to last, as this stuff can be difficult to replace while on the road.  Most of the items on this list are things I’ve started to use over the last year or two, but there are also a couple of items that have been a staple of my setup for the last 7 years.

Bicycle Touring from Lake to Coast on New England’s Lost Railroads

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Bicycle Touring from Lake to Coast on New England’s Lost Railroads

There’s this truly magical culture of bike touring in Europe. You can go town to town and point to point on B roads and double tracks, stopping in at the local pub for a cold beer and a place to lay your head. The same culture doesn’t exist in the same way in the US — towns are too far apart, lots of paved roads, busy traffic thanks to decades of car-centric infrastructure and culture, among other reasons.

But there’s a little-known exception to that rule — northern New England. I moved here from New York in early 2020, along with the rest of Brooklyn, and was instantly taken by what locals call Vermont pavé, or miles and miles of dirt roads and unmaintained town highways that dot the state. It didn’t take long before I was plotting long-distance routes and multi-day bikepacking trips that captured as many of these roads as possible and adding them to the bucket list.