Our European correspondent Petor Georgallou recently visited four North American framebuilders who have been awarded SRAM’s Inclusivity Scholarship to attend Bespoked in Dresden, Germany, on October 18–20. In the fourth chapter of this series, Petor joins Li King of Berkeley, Ca of King Fabrications. Petor chats with Li about their lifetime dream to become a welder and NorCal’s specific style as they prepare to head to Germany.
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Reportage
Bespoked X SRAM Inclusivity Scholarship 2024: Memento Cycles
Our European correspondent Petor Georgallou recently visited four North American framebuilders who have been awarded SRAM’s Inclusivity Scholarship to attend Bespoked in Dresden, Germany, on October 18–20. In the first installment of this series, Petor joins Memento Cycles of Montreal, Québec. Take a look behind the collective at Memento Cycles…
Reportage
Ozarks Odyssey Fayetteville: Riding the Rise of a New Adventure Cycling Capital
Ian Graber-Stiehl explores the current state of cycling in Northwest Arkansas, where Bikepacking Roots is working with the growing destination city of Fayetteville to establish six adventure routes that provide 750 miles of trails and pathways in the Ozarks. Does Oz live up to the marketing hype? Read on…
Reportage
Coros Dura Solar GPS Review: An Unpolished Gem
The Coros Dura GPS unit grabbed headlines this summer with its claims of a 120-hour battery life. In theory, that could even be extended indefinitely thanks to the integrated solar panel. But Travis dove deep into the drop-down menus and found the stuff below those headlines to be just as interesting.
Reportage
Paso Agua Negra: Cycling Up Chile’s Longest Climb
As Ryan Wilson makes his way from Colombia to Santiago de Chile by bike, he tackles one of the longest climbs in the world, on a road that straddles the Chile and Argentina border. Follow along as he explores the stunning desert landscapes and night skies of the region while crossing Paso Agua Negra.
Radar
Obscura: Erik Mathy’s Handmade 4 x 5″ Film Camera Review
Photographer Erik Mathy has a problem: he has a hard time doing the same thing twice. For every project he takes on, he wants to use some new combination of camera, lens and film. When Bobby Wintle announced the Mega Mid South ultra endurance race, Erik decided to build his own camera to bring with him to Stillwater, OK. In this latest edition of Obscura, Erik shows us his latest handbuilt large format camera and explains how he went about putting it together.
Reportage
The Radavist Cycling Guide to Santa Fe
Santa Fe is where The Radavist calls home, so what better location to look at in our first Cycling Guide? Read on for a look at The City Different…
Radar
Ride with GPS and Sarah Swallow Update Baja Divide Route
Since its publication in 2016, the Baja Divide route has beckoned mid-winter adventurers to ramble south through its alluring shrub-steppe mountains and vast stretches of undeveloped coastline. Thanks to the vision, time and immense resources dedicated by route creators Nicholas Carman and Lael Wilcox, the Baja Divide has steadily earned its reputation as the venerable winter touring standard. This sprawling 1736-mile bikepacking route connects the Pacific Ocean with the Sea of Cortez, traversing every major Baja California mountain range along the way. The Baja Divide links historic Spanish mission sites rich in water and shade with remote ranchos, rural fishing villages and bustling highway towns via miles and miles of beautifully rugged backcountry desert tracks.
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Readers’ Rides: Jason Reviews His UNpaved Vertigo Steel Full Suspension
We’ve got a wonderful Readers’ Rides today, that doubles as a review, sent in from our buddy Jason Fitzgibbon, who submitted his UNpaved Cycles Vertigo single pivot steel full suspension. Read on as he supplies a beautifully documented review of this bike…
Reportage
A Visit to the Mason Cycles Barn: Celebrating 10 Years of Progress
It’s been 10 years since Mason Cycles first caused a splash in the UK cycling market with the release of their original Definition and Resolution road bikes. They have since built a reputation for blending progressive riding technologies with classically beautiful aesthetics, now offering a full range of bikes designed for the whole spectrum of on- and off-road terrain. Joe Sasada sat down with founder and designer Dom Mason to discuss the journey so far, design philosophy, and what’s coming next for the brand. Read on for an extended interview and a photo gallery from Mason HQ.
Reportage
Rodeo Adventure Labs Shop Visit: Ride. Explore. Create. Better.
Rodeo Adventure Labs was founded as an open-to-anyone team a decade ago by Stephen Fitzgerald and a group of friends in search of less rules and more fun on bikes. Since becoming a production bike company with an emphasis on versatility, customization, and—always—refined design, Rodeo has retained a culture of questioning the norm. Today, Hailey Moore shares a long-form profile of the high points and headwinds Rodeo has navigated over the past ten years, and exciting insights into how the company is thinking about its future. To accompany this Shop Visit, we’re also sharing people-and-bike portraits of the folks behind Rodeo Adventure Labs in a separate Radar.
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High and Dry in the Atacama Desert
Continuing his journey down the Andes from Colombia to Santiago de Chile, Ryan Wilson travels across the surreal landscape of the Salar de Uyuni and traverses a rarely visited part of the driest desert in the world, the Chilean Atacama. Read on to follow his final days in Bolivia and his route through one of Chile’s most remote corners…
Radar
A Conversation with Austin Killips About Her Record-Setting Tour Divide Ride and Upcoming Colorado Trail Attempt
Today, we have a conversation with the one and only Austin Killips. This year, she set a new overall record for the Arizona Trail and now a new women’s record for the Tour Divide. Spencer got the chance to ask Austin some questions as she prepared for the Colorado Trail to round out her Triple Crown. See what Austin had to reflect on and look forward to below…
Reportage
Far from Alone: Meaghan Hackinen’s Invisible Support Network Behind her Solo Tour Divide Finish
This June, Meaghan Hackinen set out to compete in the Tour Divide. While no stranger to big rides or bikepacking races, this would be Meaghan’s longest off-pavement adventure yet. After a neck-and-neck race with Ana Jager, Meaghan reached Antelope Wells in a time of 15 days and 23 hours, winning the 2024 women’s division (7th overall) and setting the fastest women’s time for a grand depart.
In this reflective essay, Meaghan weaves together snapshots from her experience while exploring the invaluable but less visible support network that helped her achieve this Tour Divide win.
Supporting photographs from Seth DuBois, Alexandera Houchin, and Megan Dunn
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A Fistful of Bolivianos: Crossing the Andean Altiplano
As Ryan Wilson continues his bike tour south from Colombia to Chile, he crosses a remote stretch of Bolivia’s infamous altiplano. Follow along as Ryan takes on this harsh yet beautiful environment through volcanic landscapes and otherworldly salt flats.
Radar
Summer Reading List: Outdoor and Adventure Books for the Dog Days
Whether you are lounging waterside or holed up in a tent waiting out a summer storm, a good book is always a welcome companion. Hailey Moore puts her own spin on a summer reading list with nine book recommendations that span the outdoor and adventure genre. Don’t see your favorite? Drop into the comments and share!
Reportage
Fine Bikes, Charles Thomas, and My Enamel Road Bike
Over the past few years, Mitchell Connell has fallen in love with road riding with his friends – but he never felt at home on his Scott Addict road bike. He turned to Charles Thompson of Fine Bikes to design a dedicated road bike from the perspective of a fellow commuter, bike mechanic, and racer. Read more about their design process, visiting Charles’ shop, and how his bike turned out.
Reportage
Kona Ouroborus Supreme Review: Next-Gen Gravel
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?