The Radavist

Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 03. Click on through below for selects from Blandford, Fat Chance, Frances, La Marche, Onguza, Ritte, Rons Bikes, Schon, Sycip, and Wilde.

Since posting our first look back in April, John’s been putting in miles on the Kona Ouroborus Supreme and finally wrapped his head around not only how to classify this bike but also what its best use case is. Is this the next stage in the evolution of gravel bikes?

Earlier in June Joe Sasada joined a group of 50 riders tackling the inaugural Bristol Rally, an unsupported 300km mainly off-road loop designed to celebrate some of the most iconic riding and historic sights in South West England. Read on for the ride report, whistlestop tour through 5000 years of history, and some musings on why the Rally format works so well for the broader cycling community.

Apologies for the delay in delivering this week’s Readers’ Rides, but as you can see, it’s a special one. Tandems are often called “relationship accelerators,” particularly when it comes to tandem mountain bikes! Laura and Tree had Curtis from Retrotec Cycles build them something special… so let’s get to it.

In September, Emil Carr-Ross became the first and only woman to finish the second edition of L’Esperit de Girona, the solo unsupported off-road bikepacking event held in Catalonia. She completed the 800km course in 8 days, 11 hours and 10 minutes. It was her first-ever ultra-distance event. Carr-Ross is also one of the few trans athletes competing in ultra-cycling. A few weeks after the event, she talked through her ride, her work for a refugee cycling charity in Glasgow, and her experiences as a trans athlete in the sport. Read all about it below…

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.

Falconer Cycles is now making titanium frames and last weekend, he unveiled a stunning titanium hardtail touring bike to John…

For creatives – be it sculptors or painters – expanding into other mediums is often fulfilling and cathartic. Learning new methodologies and processes keeps makers engaged with their work. Lots of bicycle fabricators start out TIG welding steel frames and, later, expand into working with titanium. This offers new horizons for not only the brand but also for loyal followers to access a superior material.

Cameron Falconer is the latest builder to be documented here expanding into titanium from steel. While in Southern Arizona last weekend, John caught up with Cam who showcased a titanium hardtail touring bike with a custom titanium rack. This was “John’s modern bike shoot of the year” as he put it excitedly and you can see why below…

For McKenzie Barney, cycling the world was never about chasing a record, or even adhering to all of the Guinness Book of Records parameters to qualify for an “official” time. But after an introduction to bike touring in Vietnam and learning about the 18,000-mile goal post for a “Cycle the World” completion, she was intrigued. For the next few years she planned, scrimped and saved between trips while pursuing her own Cycling the World project. Earlier this year, she completed the project after having ridden 18,000 miles, in 28 countries, and on five continents. Read on for Part 1 of her journey download, where she writes about moving from thru hiking to bike touring, gaining solo experience in Europe, and then putting it to the test on a ride from Cairo to Cape Town with her partner James. Plus, don’t miss the trailer to her upcoming self-documented, self-edited film!