2024 Touring Bikes and Rigid MTBs Under and Around $2000

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2024 Touring Bikes and Rigid MTBs Under and Around $2000

All of us here at the Radavist have been on a bike tour at some point. With the proliferation of bicycle touring and bikepacking in the modern bike zeitgeist, many options exist for a “touring bike.” This also means it can be hard to sift through all those options. With bikes that span from the “skinny tire” gravel bikes to the monster truck fat bikes, touring bikes can be whatever you need of them.

We compiled a list of touring bikes and rigid MTBs under or around $2000 to help you find your first or next tourin’ rig… 

2024 Single Speed Arizona: If You Find It, Look For It

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2024 Single Speed Arizona: If You Find It, Look For It

Single Speed Arizona (SSAZ) is an annual gathering that takes place every year during the first weekend of February. Part family reunion and part celebration of bikes running on one gear, it moves around to a different hosting location annually and takes advantage of southern Arizona’s favorable weather and exemplary singletrack riding. Josh Weinberg and Chris “Dirty” Reichel were in attendance at this year’s event, which saw a solid turnout of riders and volunteers descend on West Tuscon for a weekend of stout trail riding and (for some) even stouter partying…

Introducing Buena Onda Bikes

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Introducing Buena Onda Bikes

Our friend and contributor Colt Fetters, along with partner Mark Gomez, are launching a bike brand today! Buena Onda Bikes is based in Durango, CO building titanium bikes in small batches. Below, Colt provides an overview of Buena Onda and shares a few important details about the brand including their “community supported bicycle” model, local builder John Siegrist, and their first offering which is a versatile titanium hardtail…

Hooked on a Feeling: How I Prepped for Atlas Mountain Race

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Hooked on a Feeling: How I Prepped for Atlas Mountain Race

Mel Webb is an ultra-distance bikepack racer and host of Detours: An Ultra Cycling and Adventure Podcast. She’s lined up at the start of events like the Silk Road Mountain Race, the Hellenic Mountain Race and the Alberta Rockies 700.

In just over a week she’ll be racing the 2024 Atlas Mountain Race and will be putting her body and setup through their paces in one of the world’s toughest, and most beautiful, ultra-endurance events.

Standing at 5’2, she’s no stranger to the game of tetris that is packing a small bike. Come along as Mel takes us through the evolution of her ultra race kit with photos from Morgan Taylor.

The 2024 Downieville Classic Registration is Open!

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The 2024 Downieville Classic Registration is Open!

You don’t have to race to enjoy the weekend at the Downieville Classic, but you will be missing out on one of the most stunning MTB races in the Lower 48. Registration is now open at Bike Reg, so get on it! Want to see what the Downieville Classic is all about? Check out our Reportage below!

Leave it All on the Trail and Go Baroque: the 2019 Downieville Classic

Gold Amidst the Dust: A Hardtail Gallery from the 2019 Downieville Classic

Practice Makes Perfection at the 2018 Downieville Classic

A Weekend and Then Some at the 2017 Downieville Classic

Design Slow, Sell Whenever: The Stridsland Beachcomber Origin Story

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Design Slow, Sell Whenever: The Stridsland Beachcomber Origin Story

Come along as we take a leisurely dive into the origin story of the 26+ Stridsland Beachcomber frame. Matias Stridsland has built a following around reviving old 26″ bikes and not taking things too seriously, but now he’s here to present his own 90s-inspired 26″ MTB.

Matias is self-admittedly addicted to the details and his chronicling of the process behind the Beachcomber gives real insight into the dedication that goes into these short-run projects. As he writes, this exact bike didn’t exist before and now it does—we think that’s pretty rad and if you’re interested in owning one, read to the bottom for pre-order details!

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VIDEO: Oddity Cycles Pinky 29er Snow Day | Beautiful Builds

Burnsey at Oddity Cycles has built some stunning mountain bikes over the years, so when John took note of an Oddity hardtail frame for sale on our Rad Bazaar community marketplace, he had to buy it. It’s big. It’s pink!

Expect a deeper review and full gallery to come once the trails dry out, but for now, enjoy some snow slippin’ and slidin’ riding in the Sangre de Cristo mountains of Santa Fe!

Video: Kyle Klain
Music: Arbor “Return to Forest”

The Radavist’s Top Ten Readers’ Rides of 2023

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The Radavist’s Top Ten Readers’ Rides of 2023

Our favorite posts each week come from you, the readers of this website! Back in 2011 we launched our Readers’ Rides feature and every year, we like to look back at twelve months of submissions and see what resonated with people the most. Well, this year we saw a huge uptick in vintage restomods being submitted and it says something that the number one entry on this list was just posted a few weeks ago! Let’s get to it…

The Radavist’s Top Ten Review Bikes of 2023

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The Radavist’s Top Ten Review Bikes of 2023

If our Top Ten Beautiful Bicycles list serves as an indicator of your interests, our Top Ten Review Bikes speak to the readership’s curiosities and potential next bike buys. This year’s Top Ten Review Bikes ran the gamut from carbon gravel bikes with proprietary passive suspension to actual full suspension bikes and everything in between.

Let’s check out what review bikes pushed the needle for you this year!

Josh’s Favorite Products of 2023

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Josh’s Favorite Products of 2023

It’s been a wild year around these parts. In addition to the organizational changes we experienced with this website, I feel fortunate to have met and collaborated with many amazing people in addition to traveling to some truly remarkable places. My list of favorite products ended up being rather eclectic, but I think it reflects the wide range of material we get to cover here. Of course, music was an integral backdrop to my work – on rides, traveling abroad, and with my family at home – so I have joined some of our other contributors in offering a selection of favorite tunes, alongside a handful of products, below.

Episode IV: A New Hope Tech 4 V4 Hydraulic Disc Brake Review

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Episode IV: A New Hope Tech 4 V4 Hydraulic Disc Brake Review

Earlier this year, UK-based Hope Technology released an updated version of their popular four-piston hydraulic brakes, the Tech 4 V4. The 2023 version is equipped with the same robust CNC-machined aluminum, easy adjustability, and stopping precision that contributed to the success of previous models. But where the Tech 4 V4 seeks to improve on the Tech 3 V4 generation is in its all-new lever design and revised caliper that promises increased power and improved ergonomics.

While it’s no secret we’re big fans of mechanical brakes here at The Radavist, we can also appreciate the confidence-inspiring feel of a solid four-piston hydraulic brake, particularly on full-suspension bikes. Josh Weinberg had years of experience using the preceding Tech 3 V4 on his 150 mm travel Oddity hardtail so, naturally, he wanted to see how the updated version performed over a long-term testing period aboard his Starling Murmur.

Continue reading for his breakdown of Hope’s latest flagship brakes…

I Am Not SPOX: A Spinergy MXX 30 Wheel Review

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I Am Not SPOX: A Spinergy MXX 30 Wheel Review

After the bike industry woke up from its fever dream of futuristic mag wheels, Spinergy held on for one more go with their fiber-spoked SPOX lineup. Unfortunately, those first-generation SPOX would join the rest of those early carbon wheels to be remembered as educational, innovative, but ultimately failed experiments. But a lot has changed since then. Fiber technology has made huge leaps, and it’s now possible to weave a spoke that is stronger and lighter than steel. Berd spokes have been twisting our expectations for the past year, but Travis Engel was more curious about what Spinergy has learned in the past decades. Their MXX 30 mountain bike wheels, laced with their unique PBO spokes, make some bold claims. Travis spent a couple months on them to see if they delivered.