Summer means something different for mountain bikers in Los Angeles. Unless you’re in Malibu, it’s not a great time of year to ride. Travis is not in Malibu, but he’s got ten products that will make the season more palatable.
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Norco Optic C1 Review: The Un-High Pivot
For our second-ever high-pivot bike review, Travis tests the third-generation Norco Optic. Turns out short travel and short chainstays pair pretty well with high pivots and high speed, both downhill and uphill.
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Vintage Bicycles: 1983 Steve Potts MTB – What Are Dirt Drops?
Dirt drops are mentioned periodically here on The Radavist, usually in the context of a modern hardtail, rigid mountain bike, or adventure touring bike. But where did this terminology come from, and how are vintage dirt drops wildly different from what we have today? Using his 1983 Steve Potts as a platform for discussion, John unfurled the unique history behind this bike and looked at a proper 1980s dirt drop setup. Let’s check it out.
Radar
Mike Varley’s ‘Dropping In’ Article from 1991
We’ve got a story coming up tomorrow that references this Mountain and City Biking article written by Black Mountain Cycle‘s Mike Varley from 1991 about drop bars on mountain bikes. Also known as dirt drops, Mike discusses the benefits of the unique riding position offered by these off-road drop bars in the original article text below…
Radar
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!
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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.
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Michael’s Rivendell Custom
There’s something special about a Rivendell. Everyone ought to own one at some point in their cycling journey. For Michael, his came after being hit by a car in Santa Cruz, California. Read on for his story!
Radar
RockShox Introduces 2025 Charger 3.1 Damper and Vivid Coil, and Updates Pike, Lyric, Zeb, and Super Deluxe
SRAM and RockShox always do this. They collect a bunch of minor and major innovations within a given product line, throw in a new model or two, and unleash it all at once on an unsuspecting public. I suppose it beats the alternative. If we had to wait several years for a component to get a top-to-bottom rebuild before any improvements could be made, we’d miss out on the types of innovations RockShox collected today for the 2025 model year. They’ve improved the bushing design on the Pike, Lyric and Zeb forks, revamped the damper in the Super Deluxe air shock, and introduced an entirely new Vivid Air dh-oriented coil shock. They’ve also updated their TrailHead tuning-guide app, which should help with my favorite news of the day, an updated Charger 3.1 damper.
I’ve actually got a new Pike featuring a Charger 3.1 in for test. I just haven’t had enough time on it yet to bring you a thorough review. But on the one ride I’ve managed to squeeze in between installing and writing, it’s already changed my mind a little about the compromises we’re used to making when setting up our suspension. No spoilers, but this is the first fork where I’ve increased high-speed compression damping and not paid for it with a significant increase in harshness. Again, I’ll save that for the review. For now, here’s what’s new in the news.
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!
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Silca Chain Waxing System Review: It’s Like Brewing Coffee
Drawing an analogy between bike maintenance and brewing coffee, Morgan Taylor goes deep in this Silca Chain Waxing System review. While those with ritualistic tendencies may be best suited to the hot wax process, Morgan suggests that waxing isn’t just for racers.
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Fyxo’s “Trail Breaker” Surly Krampus For Melburn Roobaix
Seeds of inspiration come from many places, people, and times in your life. Fyxo’s latest project was a trinity of such influences fused into one. Combining inspiration from Speedvagen, an old Shogun MTB, and MAD MAX to create his custom rusty Surly Krampus for Melburn Roobaix.
Radar
Affordable High-End MTB Helmet Review Roundup
You can spend $30 on a mountain bike helmet, or you can spend $300. So, Travis aimed for the middle and compared eight budget helmets with boutique swagger.
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Sour Bicycles SRD Steel Full Suspension Review: A Rolling Prototype
Peter Georgallou might be the last person ’round these parts you’d expect to test an all-mountain/enduro full-suspension mountain bike like the steel single-pivot SRD prototype from Sour Bicycles but that’s what makes his review so interesting. Continue reading below as Petor dives head-first and in-depth into a new-to-him world of riding in addition to a preview of some exciting things to come from our friends at Sour…
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Velo Orange Rando Review: An Unencumbered Pursuit
With the re-release of their ‘Rando’ offering, Velo Orange takes a stab at the slim, albeit existing, market of all-road bikes while adding their own, classically inspired twist. Floridian Nic Morales looked at where this gold-flecked bike shines and what pavement-centric dreams a thin-tubed modern randonneur inspires.
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2024 Canyon Spectral Review: A Cult Classic for the Masses
When downcountry isn’t enough, and all-mountain is too much, there’s probably no safer bet than a 140 mm bike like the new 2024 Canyon Spectral. But that’s the problem. These are not precision instruments, nor are they unstoppable eaters of worlds. To stand out, a 140 bike has to either cast a very wide net or have some very clever tricks up its sleeve. After a couple months with the new Spectral, Travis discovered it does a little of both.
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Nick and His Titanium Sycip Hardtail 29er
Nick’s titanium Sycip hardtail has been on our list to document for some time. On his April road trip to Sea Otter, John crashed in the driveway at his buddy Nick‘s house while he visited shops and builders in the area. After a particularly epic afternoon of riding in Annadel State Park, he grabbed Nick’s beautiful Sycip for some photos. This bike isn’t your ordinary Sycip and Nick ain’t your ordinary guy. Let’s see why below…
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Pivot Cycles Vault Review: Hidden Treasure
Pivot Cycles’ Vault gravel bike has plenty of amazing tech securely (wink wink) stashed in the frame making for a comfortable and uncompromising riding experience. Spencer is ever chasing something other than geometry inflation to review and Pivot’s patented ISO FLEX technology caught his eye. Make sure you take a peek inside the Vault for all the hidden treasure below…
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Sea Otter Classic 2024: Bikes We Liked
The Radavist thanks 1-Up USA for sponsoring our Sea Otter Classic 2024 coverage!
Josh and John were at Sea Otter Classic this week, covering people, products, and bikes on display. We’ve pulled together a few über galleries for your enjoyment, and today, we’ve got a selection of bikes we found wandering the aisles of the 2024 event.