Charlie Cunningham’s 2012 Personal 29er: So Many Details

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Charlie Cunningham’s 2012 Personal 29er: So Many Details

The following post is a labor of love. Hours of tedious work went into not only documenting this bike but writing about it. It is by far the most ambitious story Tasshi Dennis from The Vintage MTB Workshop and John Watson have worked on. Charlie Cunningham was more important to the modern mountain and gravel bike movement than many know. His work spanned over four decades, and the bike you see here today was his personal bike.

Read on for a complete dissection of what has to be the most detailed bicycle ever to grace this humble corner of the internet. We hope you feel the love that was poured into this post…

An Original MTB Saddle Gets Reissued: A Review of the Brooks B72

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An Original MTB Saddle Gets Reissued: A Review of the Brooks B72

When Brooks England decided to resurrect the legendary B72 saddle ($190), the brand reached out to John to use his 1980 Ritchey as a model to showcase the saddle’s history of being mounted to some of the first mountain bikes. Then, to offer a modern comparison, they built up a stunning Stooge Cycles Speedbomb. The resulting builds are eerily similar in some ways and worlds apart in others, yet the Brooks B72 looks right at home on both bikes. Let’s check out the new B72, including John’s quick review, below.

Down With the Thickness: A Race Face Chester Grip Review

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Down With the Thickness: A Race Face Chester Grip Review

Normally, this review would get shuffled into a Radar Roundup. Let’s be real, it’s just a mountain bike grip. But Travis Engel has been using the new Race Face Chester for a few weeks now, and he thought it deserved a spotlight, thanks to its two available sizes and surprisingly clever design. Also, the next Radar Roundup isn’t until Monday, and the Chester launch will probably be old news by then. It’s just a mountain bike grip.

A Multi-Bike Review of the Tumbleweed Big Dipper Drop Bars

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A Multi-Bike Review of the Tumbleweed Big Dipper Drop Bars

Wide bars are becoming more and more prolific in the drop-bar MTB, touring bike, and even gravel bike subgenres. A craze that began with the Crust and Ron’s Bikes Towel Rack bars has now become widespread in the industry, with multiple brands putting their spin on an ultra-wide offering. Among these is Tumbleweed, who have worked to design a model suited for the Stargazer touring bike (one of my favorites in that subcategory of drop-bar bikes). Fittingly dubbed the Big Dipper Bars ($115), I’ve been stealthily test-riding them on two recent review bikes. I have some thoughts on the Big Dippers and the appropriate application for wide drop handlebars in general. Let’s check it out below!

Readers’ Rides: Thomas’ 1995 Kona Cinder Cone Restoration

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Readers’ Rides: Thomas’ 1995 Kona Cinder Cone Restoration

When it comes to vintage mountain bikes of the mid-1990s, it’s hard to not mention the 1995 Kona Cinder Cone. It had one of the most unique stances at the time and the painted to match fork and stem were straight from the playbook of something small time framebuilders were and are still doing today. Thomas sent in his Cinder Cone and the final product included some clever metalwork. Read on to find out and for some of Thomas’ delicious photos!

A Titanium Chariot: Esker Cycles Hayduke LVS Longtail Review

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A Titanium Chariot: Esker Cycles Hayduke LVS Longtail Review

Announced at this year’s Moab Outerbike, the Esker Cycles Hayduke LVS –available as a frame ($2,950) or a complete ($4,950)–is a hardtail mountain bike with 600-millimeter chainstays and touring accouterments aplenty. Esker even developed a specialty rack for this bike, dubbed the Molle Rackwald ($300.) Needless to say, it’s a unique offering from the brand.

John was able to ride one for a bit, including on an overnighter with the Esker Cycles team and Sincere Cycles in Santa Fe, so read on for an in-depth look at this rare and funky bike!

San Util Mini and Light Weight Panniers Review

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San Util Mini and Light Weight Panniers Review

Modern ultralight/minimal panniers are worlds apart from what we were using 15 years ago. They’re simple, have no complicated hardware, require no tools for adjustment, and are completely rattle-free. John worked with Colorado bag maker San Util Design on designing these in-stock Mini Panniers ($125 each) for his Ritchey restoration project and has a full breakdown review comparing the Mini Panniers to the normal-sized custom-order Light Weight Panniers ($140 each) below. 

Properly Tall: Bags By Bird Right Height Bag Review

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Properly Tall: Bags By Bird Right Height Bag Review

Jay Ritchey of Bags By Bird (BXB) recently started offering custom bags not only for fabric choice and all the usual options but also specifically tailored to the height of your bars and your desired width. For riders with a lot of front-end real estate or those with a minimal amount, this can be an amazing way to maximize your gear space. In true BXB fashion, the bag looks incredible and functions equally beautifully.

Ten Years of Making the Logo Bigger, Ornot: Matt Quann Takes Us on a Trip Down Memory Lane

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Ten Years of Making the Logo Bigger, Ornot: Matt Quann Takes Us on a Trip Down Memory Lane

Our friends at Ornot are celebrating their ten-year anniversary as an independent cycling apparel and accessory brand. As part of this milestone, founder Matt Quann penned a retrospective about his experience starting an apparel brand in a San Francisco garage, tracing a path through custom frames, hurdles with domestic manufacturing, and a ride where waffles were promised but not delivered. Continue reading below for more from Matt and keep your eyes peeled for some special giveaways along with this exciting occasion!