The Radavist

In 2011, a little over a year after I found my passion for cycling through riding fixed gear bikes through the concrete jungle of New York City, I found myself, camera in hand, at Monster Track. The event is one of cycling’s most famous, most dangerous, and most significant alleycats in the world. Fast forward to 2022, and here I am again, camera in hand, at the 23rd edition of the annual brakeless urban street race.

We joke that time is a flat circle in cycling all too often. Gravel bikes are just ’90s mountain bikes, etc. Yet, we have to accept that we’re in an era of electronic shifting and yes, suspension forks on gravel bikes. This tech, however, is nothing new especially not for RockShox, who for the 1994 Paris Roubaix unveiled a suspension fork on team Lemond GAN’s bikes. In that same year, Mavic even had some Zap electronic groups on the exact same bikes.

Now, 27 years later, we have my Sklar gravel bike which is familiar to most of you, with a suspension fork and electronic shifting, under the banner of SRAM and RockShox’s new XPLR lineup (explore, not explorer). While I haven’t taken on the Hell of the North, I have spent a lot of time being a weirdo in the woods on this kit and have a really fun review to share with y’all, so read on below.

Alberto Masi and the Vigorelli Velodrome
Photos and words by Brian Vernor.

The Red Hook Crit is in Milan for the final race of the 2017 championship series. This race exceeds expectation every year I go. This year we once again had a private pre-race track day at the legendary Vigorelli Velodrome. In the velodrome itself is Alberto Masi’s frame shop, which I visited with many other racers and fans. His crew brought out some vintage bikes and dernies to run on the track. It was an amazing day blending cutting edge contemporary racing with the timeless spirit of Italian Cycling. Much thanks to Trimble Racing and the Red Hook Crit. Now, to the races…

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Follow Brian on Instagram.

Death Spray Custom and Stanridge Speed Volume 2
Photos by Jason Sellers and words by John Watson

Back in 2012, Adam Eldridge from Stanridge Speed was obsessing over the Red Hook Crit and the unique form of track bike evolving from these races. Unlike traditional track frames who only make left turns in a velodrome, the design of track crit frames need to be more dynamic. You’ve got to be able to pedal through all corners, even chicanes and do so with dozens of other racers around you. As a result, many of the track crit frames rely on steeper angles and higher bottom brackets for increased maneuverability. As we’ve seen in the past, it takes a bit of luck and a lot of skill to make it through one of these crits unscathed, not to mention winning a few back to back.

That’s where Adam’s interest piqued. Dan Chabanov had been on a winning streak and Adam wanted to put a Stanridge under him. The two were connected, via Squid, an OG bike messenger in New York and they began working together. Knowing this would be a big deal, Adam reached out to David at Death Spray Custom to make the project extra special. The rest is history, and David’s paint design made for an interesting story. Adam even got a matching kit made from a sales rack Voler skinsuit he then sublimated the design upon.

2015 was life-changing for not only myself but for the Radavist, its authors and content. For the most part, the year felt like a giant ping-pong game as various stories brought me and the contributors of this website all over the globe. Luckily, the first major story unfolded in Austin, Texas so no traveling was necessary! Check out the Radavist’s 2015 Year in Review below!

Chas’ Zipp Firecrest 404 Track Wheels
Photos by Kyle Kelley, words by John Watson

When Zipp announced their Firecrest track wheels in both the 404 (58mm deep) and an 808 (82mm deep) model, it was very apparent they were making wheels specific to the track criterium crowd, not the velodrome crowd. Track racers who invest in a set of Zipp’s would opt for the Firecrest 404 or 808 tubulars. The clincher Firecrests are clearly designed for the street use.

These new 404 Firecrest track wheels come in a 28h front / rear 2x lacing pattern, use a single-sided fixed asymmetric rear hub with a non-proprietary lock ring and rather than go for a 15mm bolt, Zipp chose a 6mm allen.

Chas has been racing on these wheels, which found their way onto the Cinelli Work frameset. A steel singlespeed frame that can be ran as a fixed crit bike, work bike or even a singlespeed ‘cross machine. Kyle caught up with Chas at the Wolf Pack Hustle Civic Center crit a few weeks back and loved the look of these wheels.

With the Red Hook Crit Barcelona underway this weekend, Chas, his bike and those wheels will go through a thorough amount of work and personally, I like how this bike is looking.

Zipp Firecrest 404:
58mm deep
1,655g wheelset weight
$950 front and $1,150 rear

Zipp Firecrest 808:
82mm deep
1,805g wheelset weight
$1,100 front and $1,300 rear

In stock now at Zipp.

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Follow Kyle on Instagram and Chas on Instagram.