Search Term – Change
We’re here in Portland, covering the 2023 MADE Bike Show, looking for bikes that we thought you, the readers of The Radavist would appreciate. Josh and John have been scouring the halls of the show for bikes to document, and we’ve got Part 05 of our coverage for you to enjoy…
Thanks to 1-Up USA for sponsoring our continued 2023 MADE Bike Show coverage!
Crossing any foreign country alone is a daunting quest. In shaky moments I turn to my heroes, the women who boil their fears until they evaporate into courage. Legends like Robyn Davidson, who famously walked her camels across the empty Australian outback to the Indian Ocean and wrote about it in her book “Tracks,” whose pages revealed the mayhem and mystique of solo desert expeditions. Upon reading her account, I envisioned my own voyage across the country. Where Davidson chose camels, I chose a bicycle.
Heatwave induced mirages are nothing outside of the norm in one of Earth’s harshest desert environments. Many times while cycling Australia I caught my thoughts drifting back to Africa, on my first monumental bike voyage from Cairo to Cape Town. The similarities of the two lands were palpable: Australia’s outback terrain akin to sand dunes of the Saharan Desert, and Down Under roadhouses seemed close cousins of remote Sudanese cafeterias. In both places the feeling of complete surrender to mother nature’s extreme weather arsenal was nearly identical, and total. Nevertheless, an unmistakable boundary separated how I approached the two journeys: a traditional touring outfit in Africa versus a lighter bikepacking setup in Australia.
‘Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride’ is one of those famous quotes by John F. Kennedy, famous perhaps for the wisdom that it carries, more than for the person who said it.
All those who have recreationally ridden a bicycle should know that Kennedy was right. However, the ex-president didn’t realize (and possibly neither many of us) that something that may be compared to and even surpasses that addictive pleasure is to combine pleasures.
A bicycle is a freedom machine that allows us to carry out different activities while simultaneously enjoying the bike itself. It is up to each one of us to choose those activities that generate the greatest pleasure. For example, in my case, a good bike packing trip combined with a fly fishing session does it for me. What in this world could compare to this pleasure overdose? A new adventure was being cooked.
Up since the break of dawn, all day we’d been rolling on washboard roads. Yet it was hard to complain. We’d just spent a few days hiking around Ikara/Flinders Ranges National Park and it felt good to be headin’ north again. As the sun dropped toward the horizon I stopped for a bit of a feed. Dan rolled up beside me and we began to look for somewhere to camp. It was dead flat aside from the occasional patch of scrub. You could’ve pitched in anywhere but for some reason, it still felt good to choose a spot. It was then, with bikes stationary and no wind to speak of, that we were struck by the immense silence of our surroundings. This was our first proper encounter with the vastness of the Australian desert. The endless horizon. We had made it to the edge of the outback, and thousands of kilometers of dusty track lay in wait.
FYXO sent over this video he made of the new Curve Cycling DownRock, a new titanium 29×2.6″ hardtail from the brand, with a plethora of details worth checking out at Curve.
Australian Kook Inc. Adventures: GRONK 690
Words and photos by Jorja Creighton
gronk – Urban Dictionary
Australian Slang, (noun) A person that is totally lacking in fashion sense, motor skills and/or social skills. Usually a total moron, an extremely unpleasant person or an unwanted guest.
Sometimes: A likable idiot or Bogan (especially in Queensland)
1. No wonder he can’t get a girlfriend, he is such a gronk!
2. Why would you “steal my car for the weekend,” you gronk!
The Jagungal Wilderness is my favorite place to take guests in Australia. Come to Australia for sun and sand? Too bad…I will give you a historically inaccurate tour of the Australian Snowy Mountains in late springtime. Where it may or may not snow, hail or cook you.
The Australian Crust Van Tour
Photo and words by Jorja Creighton
Touring plans can be dismantled on the fly and made better, sure there is glory in the hard yakka, but when you are out for two weeks, just looking for the good times … Chase the rainbow and good trails. Turn off that path if it looks rosier, you’re on holidays! That’s what the #crustvantour did, and boy did we find the rainbow.
We set out to ride half of the east coast of Australia. From Brisbane to Sydney over the month that Kurt and Raymond were in town from America. Half the crew riding on Crust Bikes, it was a Crust Tour after all; a step through extra small hot-pink Evasion, an eXtra cycle converted Evasion, a Crust Romanceür, and a fresh burgundy Scapegoat that Kurt was riding. The other half of the crew riding a Surly, a custom Moustache build, a pub bike and Jones bike. We can’t all be Crust lucky.
Clothing Cart, China, 2013 / Mamiya 7ii / 80mm / Kodak Portra 400
Like many design students, my first experiences with photography came from an educational environment. In architecture college, we were taught some very simple, fundamental ideas to capturing space through light and composition. While I wouldn’t consider my early experiences with photography the same as actual photo students’, I would say that it greatly influenced my eye and in a lot of ways, hindered my ability to produce a decent photo.
The most pressing reason being the architectural ‘rules’ of photography: vertical lines should always be straight, view a space like a 2-point perspective, before examining other possibilities, rules of thirds, etc. We were told to idolize Francis Ching, which can make for great architectural photos but when it comes to moving, vibrant moments, can make life rather boring and stagnant. Unless you’re into that sort of thing.
One of the biggest downfalls with my introduction to photography was the lack of precedents. It’s a shame for me to admit that most photographers I studied, or had any interest in learning about shot only (or mostly) buildings. Which, as I would find out later on, during a major ‘career shift’, wouldn’t apply as much as I had hoped.
If you’ve been following this blog for any amount of time, you’ve probably noticed a change in my photography. The only reason I’m even bringing this up is because multiple people have pointed it out to me. Now, I do not like talking about my ‘work’. It’s not that I’m overly confident with it, it’s that I have a hard time considering myself a photographer. I’m confident with what I do, just not presenting it in any artistic light.
I’m really proud of everything Andy is doing in Melbourne, including this event:
FYXO is proud to host the first Australian Custom Bicycle Show this 1 & 2 December in Melbourne, Australia.
The ACBS is an opportunity to see a flourishing range of high quality hand constructed frame offerings that are ‘Made in Australia’ and cater to the desires of passionate cyclists.
We aim to promote and foster a part of the bicycle industry we have long been passionate about. Made by Hand / Made in Australia.
From Frame builders and painters to hand crafted cycling accesories, come meet established and emerging exhibitors, their custom products and fall head over pedals in lust with their offerings.
John and Cari were in Melbourne for a few days following the 2024 MADE Australia showcase, which gave them some free time to visit a couple of shops, one of which was Prova Cycles.
Nestled inside this compact factory, siblings Mark and Kelly Hester build some of the most advanced bikes in the world. This two-person team has optimized production over the past four years, and it’s something to behold…
While John and Cari were down in Melbourne for the Roobaix and MADE Australia, they made sure to roll by Off Course Bike Shop, the city’s dedicated commuting, touring, and adventure hub. What they found inside this industrial space exceeded their expectations of what a modern bike shop could be. Let’s check it out!
Originally featured in our MADE OZ coverage, Zeke’s stunning resto-mod Gemini World randonneur build was expanded upon by Alex Streich on the Off Course Bike Shop blog. We’ve got the whole write-up below for a very in-depth Readers’ Rides!
The Shinken track bike is a stunning collaboration between Zach Small of Amigo Frameworks, painter Jonny Pucci, and spacciatori d’acciaio Lorenzo Romagnoli. Built with modified vintage 3Rensho Modeulo lugs and a combination of legacy craftsmanship and modern methodology, it is a labor of love that gave form to an idea Zach originally dreamt up years ago when Josh visited his workshop in Nashville, TN. With the help of Jonny and Lorenzo, the frame was brought to life, featuring a remarkable finish and dialed parts selection. Let’s dive into this wild project below!
When it comes to increasing cyclists’ visibility, and thus safety, max lumens and fluorescent colors don’t tell the full story. During the five years they spent bringing their flagship tail light to market, the founders of Project Flock combed the research to uncover what factors increase drivers’ awareness of cyclists from farther away. They funneled their findings into the design of the Flock Light, a feature-rich tail light designed to signal “cyclist ahead” in drivers’ brains earlier. In her Project Flock Light review, Hailey Moore explains the most important factor in visibility for cyclists and how this innovative tail light is designed to maximize it.
Read on for The Radavist’s Top Ten Articles of 2024, ranked in ascending order and based on views. We’re more than just Beautiful Bicycles over here; year after year, the articles that our authors publish draw the biggest crowds. From our Dust-Up op-eds to the first look at brands’ future showcases, clever hacks, and new this year, our Radavist Documentary brought in the page views. As we look back across twelve months of content, ten articles in particular stand out.
It’s the last Friday of the year, and that means it’s time for our annual Top Ten Readers’ Rides list! Started in 2011, Readers’ Rides showcases the unique bikes owned by the readership of The Radavist. Like our Top Ten Bike Reviews list we posted yesterday, we compiled data from views and comments to distill down ten prime examples. This year’s list has some wild ones, so let’s get to it!
In September, Lael Wilcox finished her 108-day, world-record ride around the globe. As a cycling feat, Lael accomplished something truly remarkable. But what struck Janie Hayes most was not the number of miles she rode, or how fast she rode them. It was the 3,000 people who came out to pedal next to her, from Portugal to Georgia to New Zealand.
After a full year of using the Omnium Mini Max cargo bike, John penned a review that reads like a love letter to this incredibly versatile platform…
