藝術 (Art), 手工藝 (Craftsmanship), 製造 (Manufacture): Taichung Taiwan is a Bicycling Manufacturing Mecca

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藝術 (Art), 手工藝 (Craftsmanship), 製造 (Manufacture): Taichung Taiwan is a Bicycling Manufacturing Mecca

Coming off our Dust-Up article on (Most) All Bikes are Handmade is a deeper dive… It is easy to take for granted how products from around the globe end up in our hands. When it comes to bicycles, many of us have no idea how they are made. Our Instagram feeds are filled with romanticized images of artisans building intricate frames one at a time, but what about the production bicycles that the vast majority ride? Much less information is available, leaving our imaginations to conjure up images of robotic welders and dirty, fast-paced production. This often leads to uninformed debates on where, who, and how products are made.

The authors of this article offer a unique perspective on bicycle manufacturing. Daniel Yang, a talented engineer working with Neuhaus Metalworks and his own brand ARTEFACT, is changing how artisan framebuilders build bikes through 3D printing and 3D modeling innovations. Adam Sklar has over a decade of experience building high-end custom bikes by hand. He recently brought his production to Taiwan, working together with factories to produce his signature designs. The factories and people you see in this article produce Sklar Bikes, which is why we were given the opportunity to share this experience with you all.

Modular Protection: Tannus Fusion Tubeless Tire Insert Review

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Modular Protection: Tannus Fusion Tubeless Tire Insert Review

Tannus Fusion is the world’s first modular tubeless tire insert system. Made of two interlocking components, the system allows riders to select the exact amount of desired tire protection. Each portion of the Fusion insert can also be used individually, for applications ranging from road to trail riding. Spencer recently got his hands on a set of the new Fusion inserts, which are launching today, and set them up on a couple of his bikes. Read on for his review…

Website Update: We Now Have Our Entire Image Catalog Dating Back to 2008

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Website Update: We Now Have Our Entire Image Catalog Dating Back to 2008

John here with an exciting announcement!

The Radavist has great content dating all the way back to 2008 (there are even our 2006-2008 archives floating around on the ‘net still!), and now, our once-missing 2010-2015 image bucket has been uploaded again! Back in 2018, we lost it in a website server migration, and while doing some digging through our convoluted image bank, web lord Ian Register uncovered our lost image server!

All 150+ GB of images are back, including some of my personal favorites like a 2012 Fuji XPro-1 Review, Robin’s Dirt Drop Highball, Erik from Peacock Groove’s Evil Dead Tribute Bike, NYC Shop Visits, Austin, TX, shenanigans, a lot of Austin, TX shenanigans!, Blackburn Ranger rides, Ryan Wilson’s road bike rides, Bandit camping on Diablo, Peacock Nük, the original Oregon Outback Reportage, Aussie Bush Rides, and the Head Shots and Head Tubes NAHBS article!

I’ve been covering bike touring, framebuilders, and maker culture for 18 years now and in that time, each of these sub-genres has grown more and more. It’s nice having a deep catalog of this content on The Radavist!

Many thanks to Ian for kicking ass on our refresh, which includes a lot of backend maintenance.

One note: when you search through the archives, if the title image is still missing, don’t fret, the entire gallery is back up and running, we’re working on the title image break fix.

 

Double Feature Review: Alex and Nikki’s Starling Swoop Steel Full Suspensions

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Double Feature Review: Alex and Nikki’s Starling Swoop Steel Full Suspensions

The Swoop is Starling Cycles‘ versatile single-pivot steel full-suspension bike designed for 27.5 wheels. With its adjustable shock mounts, the Swoop can be set in “Trail” mode with 130 mm of rear travel or “Enduro” with 160 mm. Partners Alex and Nikki each have Swoops in respective enduro and trail modes that they’ve been riding for some time now. Below, they share a review of both iterations of this adaptable built-in-UK platform from one of our favorite bike makers

Marin Four Corners 2 First Ride Review

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Marin Four Corners 2 First Ride Review

We recently highlighted the return of the Marin Four Corners 1 model, and today the brand released the more premium version, the Four Corners 2. This version features the same updated geo but with a few more modern amenities including: upgraded thru-axles, hydraulic brakes, and a 1x drivetrain while only clocking in at $1999 for a complete bike. Below, Spencer Harding offers a first look at Marin Four Corners 2…

First Ride Review: Veolo Bike Trailer

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First Ride Review: Veolo Bike Trailer

After a successful Kickstarter campaign at the end of 2023, the Veolo bike trailer is moving to production—available for pre-order now with an expected arrival time of May 2024. Hailey Moore has been looking for an analog system for carrying more commuting cargo by bike and was intrigued by the Veolo’s lightweight build, modest storage footprint, and hefty carrying capacity.

Read on for her first-ride review of this German-made bike trailer…