The field of all-road and gravel bikes may seem crowded, but Otso Cycles always seems to add something new to the conversation with their bikes. In this review, Hailey Moore writes about what sets the Otso Warakin Steel apart among its off-road peers.
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2024 Bespoked Dresden: A Special Fern Bicycles Chuck Gravel Touring Bike
Amid our ongoing coverage of the Bespoked Dresden framebuilder and maker showcase, today we are featuring a very special bicycle made by Berlin-based Fern Bicycles equipped with Allygn racks and custom bags from Gramm Tourpacking. With design language referencing a late-1980s Toyota Pickup and mountain bikes of the same vintage, the build features both old and new elements with components from a long list of artisan fabricators like Cyber Cycles, Garbaruk, Tune, Velocity, SON, Gevenalle, Btchn’, and many more. We think this bike might be peak Fern. Continue reading below for the complete breakdown of this special Fern Bicycles Chuck gravel touring bike.
If you’re at Bespoked this weekend, make sure to swing by the Fern booth to check this out!
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Bike Hacks: Resurrecting a Trust Message Linkage Fork for Bikepacking
The Trust Performance Message linkage fork was an expensive, extravagant, and flawed attempt to change how we think about mountain bike design. The brand ceased operations in the early days of the pandemic, but Travis had high hopes for Trust. He also still has the Message fork he reviewed in 2019. A recent bikepacking trip inspired him to give it a second life with some new bolts, washers, and tiny, tiny bearings.
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Meriwether Cycles Ponderosa Adventure Gravel Bike Review
Yesterday we looked Inside and Out of Meriwether Cycles via an in-depth Shop Visit. In that post, we offered a sneak peek at Whit’s production adventure gravel bike, the Ponderosa. John has been riding a prototype all year, providing Whit feedback for the final production model, which we’ll look at it in detail today. Read on for a full review of this tall and sturdy dream bike platform…
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PNW Components LTD Silver Dropper Posts Are On the Way
John got his anodizing-stripping hands on one of the new PNW Components LTD Silver Dropper Posts ahead of their launch. Read on below for all the details on how you can snatch one too!
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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…
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Sanitas Tap Root Ti Hardtail Review: Silver Surfin’ Daily Driver
What is titanium anyway? And where does it come from? Maybe from outer space? Who knows? We’re not really sure, but the folks over at Sanitas Cycles in Durango, Colorado, probably know. The Sanitas Tap Root is a trail-ready titanium hardtail with so much to offer. Today, in his review, Sean T. Randolph explains why this silver surfer is a great value and so much fun to ride!
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Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Alloy: First Ride Review
The new Specialized Stumpjumper didn’t exactly get a refresh. It got a reboot. It now has more in common with the critically acclaimed Stumpjumper Evo than the mild-mannered Stumpy we once knew. And its Genie shock promises unprecedented dimensions of tunability. But at first, the carbon-frame-only update came with an electronic-drivetrain-only twist. That’s why, when Travis heard an aluminum version was coming, he signed up.
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Giant Trance 29 2 Review: Mash Market
Whenever we veer into the mainstream by covering a bike from The Big Three, we do it because that bike has something special going on. And the Giant Trance 29 2 certainly is special. Travis spent a month aboard the moderate-travel, moderate-price trail bike. He praised its modern features, sophisticated suspension, and thoughtful spec. It does need bigger brake rotors, but that’s kind of a compliment if you think about it.
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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…
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2024 MADE Bike Show Part 06: Blaze, Breadwinner, Donkelope, Mischief, Mosaic, Outer Shell, Stellar Werks, Terraplane
Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 06. Click on through below for selects from Blaze, Breadwinner, Donkelope, Mischief, Mosaic, Outer Shell, Stellar Werks, and Terraplane.
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2024 MADE Bike Show Part 04: Ahearne, Jeffrey Bock, Neuhaus, Rock Lobster, Scarab, Sim Works/Doppo, Souvenir, Squid, Tonic, Zabrina
Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon, continues with Part 04. Click on through below for selects from Ahearne, Jeffrey Bock, Neuhaus, Rock Lobster, Scarab, Sim Works/Doppo, Souvenir, Squid, Tonic, and Zabrina.
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2024 MADE Bike Show Part 02: Apogee, Amigo, Baum, Btchn’, Good Grief, Goodday + Curiosity, Ira Ryan, Lost Workshop, Mone, Retrotec
Our 2024 MADE Bike Show coverage from Portland, Oregon continues with Part 02. Click on through below for selects from Apogee, Amigo, Baum, Btchn’, Good Grief, Goodday + Curiosity, Ira Ryan, Lost Workshop, Mone, and Retrotec…
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Wish List: Vol. 1 – Tools, Trucks, Bottles, and Butts
Welcome to the first installment of Wish List, where Radavist contributors share their dreams of things that don’t exist, but maybe should. Some will be slightly niche but perfectly reasonable ideas that have every right to exist. Others will be impractical, expensive, and/or dangerous fantasies that probably should remain fantasies. Travis dives in first with a list that spans this spectrum quite nicely.
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Jordyn’s Deep Custom Chromag Darco
Today, we are showing off Jordyn’s deep custom Chromag Darco. Unlike your local rad dad selling his 10-year-old MTB as “custom” after swapping the saddle and grips, Tucson local Jordyn went deep to adapt his Chromag Darco to his desert trails. Check out all the dialed details below!
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Thick MTB Grip Review Roundup
This is a good time for thick grips. There are more options than ever for anyone seeking a little extra surface area. Travis is a bit of an expert on the subject, and never travels without a set of grips 33 mm or larger in case he needs to borrow a bike. So, he’s gathered a baker’s dozen and gave them a squeeze.
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PNW Components Range Dropper Post and Lever First Ride Review
PNW Components recently released their Range Dropper Post and Range Lever. Iterating off their premium Loam dropper and lever the Range series offers a simplified and budget-friendly dropper post package. We think it’s a pretty solid deal, with the combo post + lever coming in at $199 total. Check out Spencer’s first ride review below…