The Radavist

What McGovern Cycles is bringing to the carbon fiber road bike market is not necessarily a new concept, but seeing it made in California is a first for me. His 27.5 carbon fiber road bike will fit a 27.5 by 2.1″ tire or a 700 by 45mm, is light as hell, features beautiful details, and has the stance of a race thoroughbred machine. These frames are built using tube-to-tube construction, not a mold, so a completely-custom geometry is possible. The 3T Luteus 2 fork gives ample clearance, without drastically increasing the ATC measurement. Last but not least, can we talk about that paint job? Outstanding work by John Slawta of Landshark!

Landsharks appear to be quite common in Southern California, especially in the San Diego area where David picked up not one, but two of these beautiful steel frames. The first being his own Track Shark and the second, a Road Shark for his brother. After scooping up the frame for a mind-melting deal, he built it with the spare parts he had from previous track builds, including some black Campagnolo Shamal wheels. In its current rendition, David’s got a platform pedal and foot strap so he can comfortably ride the bike in whatever sneakers he pleases. Fret not, pista purists, he also has a set of Campagnolo Pista pedals to completely dial it in… Personally, I think it’s awesome to see this bike being ridden still, with tons of potential for inner and outer city rides.

Also, that paint! Slawta never disappoints!

The allure of the eBay score is strong, especially after so many Landsharks have been recently featured here on the site. Such temptation was too great for Andre. After looking on eBay for a few months, he finally scored this Road Shark with Shimano 600 for $400. It came as shown, minus some dry-rotted tires and no saddle, which were easily replaced. It’s in ok overall condition, just don’t look too closely at the bar tape!

The future of this bike is uncertain. There’s been talk of long-reach calipers, 650b conversion with porteur bars, or a modern 10-speed group, and my vote goes to keeping it as-is, just overhaul the damn thing a bit. For now, Slawta’s crazy personal touches shine regardless as to how much patina is present. My favorite detail is the chomping shark mouth on the internal cable routing exit…

John Slawta is as much an artist as he is a frame builder. It’s rare to see any one of his custom bikes from the late 80’s or early 90’s with the same paint job. Sure, he went on stints where he developed paint themes, but each Land Shark frame was truly unique. It’s for this reason that I’ve often found myself on a Land Shark kick, where I’ll scour ebay or Craigslist, hopeful of finding a bike that would fit me.

That’s how David, a Stumptown employee, found this bike in particular. Truthfully, he actually scored two bikes when he replied to a Craigslist ad in Los Angeles. This one in particular just happened to fit him a bit better. Turns out, this was Harrison Ford’s son’s bike. Oh SoCal…

Not needing an actual cyclocross racing bike, David converted it to more of a commuter. Since it lacks fender mounts, he has clip-on fenders that he’ll swap on and off depending on the unpredictable Portland weather. Wide, uncut riser bars and a 1x drivetrain, thanks to a Wolf Tooth, give this bike a rally-like feel as he zips around town going to and from various Stumptown locations.

Dedacciai Zero tubes offer a unique silhouette, especially for a cyclocross bike. Check out the bi-oval, shaped, top tube’s flat profile for shouldering and the downtube’s diameter as it butts into the bottom bracket shell. A true custom selection for a bike that, at the time, was a ripping race machine. Hell, it would still roast a cyclocross course. For now, it’s pretty content as a commuter and David is stoked. Win/win if you ask me.

For anyone that watched cycling in the late 80’s, this bike should look familiar. Before Merckx built the team 7-Eleven frames, Landshark and Serotta had built their fair share of “Huffy” team bikes. On a recent group ride in Milwaukee, Peter from COG Magazine found himself cruising next to Tom Schuler, of 7-Eleven fame. This 1987 National Champ still rides his team bike, which is in perfect condition. It’s hard to imagine someone holding onto a bike for that long in this day and age but when you were a part of a legacy, that’s all the reason you need.

Peter was kind enough to send over some amazing photos of this Serotta-built team 7-Eleven. Check out more below.

Click on the above photo to launch the gallery, or here to open in a new tab.