For the Top Ten Beautiful Bicycles of 2024 we looked at pageviews, comments, and social media chatter from twelve months of content to determine what bikes best represent a calendar year at The Radavist. Then, to up the ante this year, we’ve included our Handmade Showcase Awards, featuring bikes from the OZ/US MADE Bike Show and UK/DE Bespoked. Let’s get to it!
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The Radavist’s Top Ten Bike Reviews of 2024
Each year, our staff takes on dozens of bike reviews, testing out what the bike industry is offering in various taxonomies. From carbon fiber full suspension bikes to small batch fillet brazed drop bar bikes and everything in between. The Radavist’s Top Ten Bike Reviews both paint a picture of what our audience wants to see and what our eclectic group of authors likes to ride.
We rank our Top Ten lists by views, comments, and social media chatter, distilling the metrics into an easy-to-digest cross-section analysis based on twelve months of web traffic and industry-leading independent Reportage. Furthermore, each of these Bike Reviews ranks at the very top of Google search results.
Without further ado, let’s check out the Top Ten Bike Reviews of 2024 in descending order below!
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Tim’s Brick Lane Bikes BLB Hitchhiker Basket Bike
The BLB Hitchhiker is an all-steel, all-rounder, and Tim built his up as a flat bar basket bike. Let’s check out a beautifully-documented Readers’ Rides below!
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Inside / Out at Exposure Lights UK
Veteran mountain bike journalist Bob Allen takes us Inside / Out at Exposure Lights, a UK lighting company based in West Sussex. Read on for a brand background and deep dive into what it takes to make industry-leading cycling illumination…
Radar
What I Learned From My First Mountain Bike Race
Throughout 2024, Hailey Moore (in her own words) has been inching her way along the mountain biking learning curve. She recently rode the Old Fort Strong Endurance Festival and writes about what she learned from her first mountain bike race.
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Matt’s 1987 Trek 800 Antelope
The Trek Antelopes are a great alternative to the Stumpjumpers and MB-1 of the era. For this week’s Readers’ Rides, Matt shares his 1987 Trek 800 Antelope with us…
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Specialized Epic 8 Evo Review: “Short” Travel Evolved
With the latest iteration of the Specialized Epic 8 Evo, Specialized pushes their XC bike as far as they are willing to go. The Epic 8 Evo Comp ($5000) features 10 mm more suspension travel than the non-Evo model, a full suite of Fox parts, and a carbon frame with SWAT storage. How does this bike stack up against the rest of the downcountry field? Read on…
Radar
The Chumba SLACKR John Reviewed is For Sale
Chumba Cycles is selling the size XL SLACKR hardtail John reviewed for a heavily discounted sale price of $8,995. See all the details of the deal at Chumba Cycles and if you buy this bike, we’ll send you some free Radavist water bottles of your choice for it! Mention it to Chumba and we’ll get ya sorted.
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Nick’s Favorite Products, Experiences, and Ideas of 2024
Next up in our year-end recaps, Nicholas shares a short list of his favorite products for life on and off the bike, as well as a few recommendations for reading and listening…
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Spencer’s Favorite Products, Rides, and Experiences of 2024
Spencer adds up the short list of his favorite products of 2024 as the year comes to a close. This year, he adds in his favorite ride(s) of the year, what he’s learned, his favorite albums, new and old, and something new for the year. Check out his list below…
Radar
Cotic Bikes Solaris In Stock
Cotic Bikes just received an early shipment of its new Solaris, the UK brand’s flagship hardtail, in Gloss Ember and Gloss Forest. These two colors really pop with a gloss finish. The Solaris frames are now UDH, Sram Transmission compatible, and are built in Czechia from Reynolds 853 tubing. Optimized for a 100-130 mm fork and 29er wheels, Cotic has size C4 in stock now; other sizes are shipping in January.
Roll on over to Cotic Bikes to see more.
Radar
John’s Favorite Products, Rides, Experiences, and More from 2024
At the end of each year, The Radavist contributor network compiles a list of their favorite products. This year, we’ve upped the ante to include our favorite products, rides, experiences, and more. Read on for John’s list from 2024…
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Tout Terrain Outback Xplore II Review: Orange Crush
Sean T. Randolph takes a close look at the Tout Terrain Outback Xplore II hardtail ($6,279), a rugged gearbox- and belt-drive-equipped bicycle featuring the Pinion C1.12 system. If you’re gearbox-curious (and we know you are), read on to find out if this touring mountain bike from Tout Terrain is the derailleur-killer…
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Wolf Tooth Components and Otso Cycles Factory Visit
Wolf Tooth Components and Otso Cycles have been making innovative bicycles and parts for over a decade. Starting in 2013 with aftermarket chainrings and cogs for nascent 1x drivetrains, their offerings have grown considerably to include an expanded catalog of machined aluminum parts, complex tools, dropper posts, and a full-blown sibling bike brand, Otso Cycles. Josh spent a day at Wolf Tooth‘s Minneapolis HQ earlier this year and reports on what he learned about the brand’s history and where they’re headed…
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This Just In: MONoPOLE No O1 Mini Velo Cargo Bike
The MONoPOLE No 01 is a 24″ x 20″ wheeled front-loading mini velo cargo bike with an interesting Gates belt-driven steering mechanism. John got ahold of a rolling chassis a few weeks ago and finally built it up. We figured you’d like to see the complete bike before he customizes it to suit his cargo needs. And we wanted to ask you how you’d build it up, so let’s get to it!
Radar
Yang MFG Visits Retrotec
Our friend Daniel Yang visited longtime buddy Curtis Inglis from Retrotec in Napa, California. Check it out as Daniel chases Curtis on his Funduro, which we documented last year, and peers behind the veil into what makes a Retrotec so rad!
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Casey’s Manzanita Cycles Rigid 29er Klunker MTB, aka the Klunquazita
Teased in the Campandgoslow Shop Visit and Trout Tape post, John got to shoot Casey’s delicious rigid 29er klunker Manzanita Cycles mountain bike while visiting Great Basin Pottery in the foothills of the Easter Sierra. This bike is a perfect mix of vintage throwback and modern mixed-terrain sensibilities. Check out a detailed photo gallery below with words from the bar tape/potter Hemmingway, Casey himself, along with a Q&A with Nick from Manzanita…
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Kona Process 134 Review: All Are Welcome
Over a decade ago, Kona helped spark The Mountain Bike Geometry Revolution. Their Process line of aggressive full-suspension models were some of the first to get the “longer, lower, slacker” treatment that is so ubiquitous today. And although the 2024 Kona Process 134 harbors the same rebellious spirit as its ancestors, Travis found it was uniquely approachable.