The Radavist

The most essential component in a custom bicycle is the fit. It’s difficult to have an in-person fit experience these days with customers ordering from across the country or around the globe. Because of this, builders will chose to rely on either previous bicycle’s geometries or body charts. While it is possible to hit the nail on the head with these metrics, having the proper fit can be difficult without letting a builder witness how your body relates to the bicycle and vice versa. Hence the Speedvagen Fit Tour. Bringing the builder to the customer.

For Speedvagen and Sacha White, the owner of the Vanilla Workshop, fit is paramount for frame design and execution. In short: a bicycle should fit like a tailored suit. Every millimeter counts. Sacha’s fit philosophy is obsessive, thorough and merits a total fit experience. One that coincidentally, has been mobile for the past few weeks as it took to the road in California.

Waking up to unfamiliar sounds, namely from animals, is highly underrated. Like an alarm clock going off full tilt, your brain processes new audio notes with a different intensity. Maybe that’s why I sprung from my bunk in our hut at 6am that morning. Scratching my head, semisomna, asking myself “what the hell was that?”

We’re too far south for it to be a Bunyip – the Australian Yeti – and too high in elevation for it to be a chicken. There it is again, now multiple times, surrounding the cabin. I grabbed my coffee kit and headed out to the porch to see what the commotion was all about. Immediately, I began to witness these wingless birds chasing each other around, making this unique call.

The Weka had welcomed us to the Old Ghost Road. A flightless bird, a bit bigger than a kiwi, diurnal, and very vocal. At a certain point, the need for coffee and a few sunrise photos overtook the interestingness of a damn bird.

Pardon the brief nature geek moment, we’re here to talk about bikes.

Look, none of us are exactly stoked on how consumer driven our world is. It should be about the ride, or the experience you get from being on a bike with friends, not who has the newest product or component. Yet, unfortunately to some, it is. To some extent anyway. Over here at the Radavist, we’re aware of this conundrum, but we’ll always try to steer you in the right direction when it comes to products. Remember, buy local when you can! You’re local bike shop needs you.

Check out some of our favorite products of 2014 below. Just try not to end up with an empty wallet, ok?

Ride Along: Garrett Kautz from Strawfoot
Words and photos by John Watson

Strawfoot is one of those companies that has gained a lot of momentum over the past year in the cycling industry because of social media and word of mouth. While Strawfoot is a bag company, they’re most known for their socks. I was first introduced to Garrett from Brian Vernor last year, when I visited his small shop in Santa Cruz.

Over the past few months, Strawfoot has grown. They’ve moved to a bigger shop, are sponsoring a cross team and yes, he’s continued making socks, which sell out almost immediately…

I’ve been to Baum Cycles before, a few years back, but in that time, both Darren and I made a few big moves. While Baum is still expanding, it’s fun to see what the future holds for the Geelong-based frame builder.

For some reason, I always assumed Euro was based in, I dunno, Europe? Turns out, Brian Hayes builds Euro Sport frames in Australia, which is where, coincidentally, Andy picked up this very frame. Now, to go from a Llewelyn as your everyday road bike to a Euro Sport might seem strange to some (it did for me), for Andy, it speaks one thing: Australian racing pedigree.

This bike is the shit. Euro Sport frames have been ridden by the Aussie National Team extensively. They’re aggressive, steep and responsive. This particular frame was built by Brian Hayes for Brett Lancaster, an Aussie pro. While Brian’s work has dabbled in ostentatious paint jobs before, he can’t recall painting this specific job… Which means, clearly aliens painted it because it’s out of this world, bro.

Paint alone doesn’t make the bike. You have to know how to piece it together. Enter FYXO: the man knows how to build a bike. Campagnolo Athena 11 speed, with custom panto, C-Record influenced cranks, Cinelli cockpit, Absolut Fyxo bidons, Regal saddle and good ol’ made in the USA White Industry hubs laced to Mavic Open Pros.

I love this bike, almost as much as I love its owner, so I spent extra time photographing it. See more in the Gallery!

For me, nothing beats a 32h 3x wheelset for my cross bike but after talking with the guys at Easton about their new EA90 SLX tubeless race wheels, I was willing to try a set out.

While these can be used for road or cross, I have no desire to run them as road wheels. Tubeless rules for off-road riding, especially if you live in an area with a lot of rocks, roots and thorns. Why? There’s no pinch-flatting. The latex sealant also keeps trail debris from flatting your tires. Around this time of year in Austin, the thorns get blown and washed onto the trails, leaving you with at least one flat per ride if you’re not careful.

I don’t have this issue on my 29’r but my cross bike…

Check out more of my Initial Reaction to Easton’s EA90 SL tubeless race wheels below and more photos in the Gallery of my dialed-in Geekhouse Mudville, race-ready (for all who have asked).

I think it’s safe to say that the whole camo thing is at its prime so simply slapping an ambiguous pattern on a cycling kit, or apparel isn’t going to cut it. There has to be something unique, or even vernacular about the presentation. Enter the Fyxomatosis “Predator” cycling kit.

Disruptive Pattern Camouflage Uniform, or Auscam was developed in the 70’s and 80’s. Used by the Australian Defence Force, Auscam is very distinctly Australian. As Australian as meat pies and yes, as Australian as Fyxo himself.

Andy sent me one of these kits a few weeks back, which I subsequently shredded (literally) on the first MTB ride. Since Andy still owes me $999.99 from a bet, I told him I’d clear his debt if he sent me another one and here it is.

The kit itself is made from really nice fabric and stuff. The fabric is as Italian as a cannoli stain on an Armani suit, uses YKK zippers, J-TECK dies for crisp sublimation, UV protection SPF 25+ and has passed extensive PiNP x FYXO testing in only the finest lab conditions (i.e. the wood).

While the US dollar is stronger than the AUS, scoop one up at FYXO… and yes, this stuff will make you a god damned sexual Tyrannosaurus, just like me.

See more photos in the Gallery and all the fit information, plus detail photos you need at FYXO.

“Aged many years in the wood”. How many years? Well, like everything in Straya, there’s a story for that. Daniel John Hale has seen his share of saddle time in the years he’s spent on Earth. An ex-pro mountain biker, owner of the Best Bike Shop in the World and one of the first solo riders to take on this particular area of Australian Bush, Dan’s no stranger to the wood.

Ten years ago, he did a similar ride to what we just completed this past weekend but instead of two days, it took him four. Rather than ride a mountain bike or a geared bike, he took his singlespeed Monster Cross. No GPS, no satellite phone and no idea where he was going, save for a map he bought on the side of the road. Later, he, Dave, Scooter and Andy began to tackle these rides annually. That’s 10 years in the wood of Upper Yarra, familiarizing themselves with the ‘bush, the many off-shooting tracks and trails.

Last year, a very similar ride changed me as a cyclist. It took the 215 pound me and slapped it around before spitting (i.e. shitting) it back out. I learned a lot in two long days, but left Melbourne wanting more. When I mentioned returning this year, Andy proposed me landing in for Dan’s 40th. As Andy put it, “we’ll do another ride”…

I’m now around 185 pounds and have been putting in serious saddle time, so the anxiety wasn’t as bad. Until he showed me the route. Day 01, 100 miles, 16,000′ of climbing. BUGGA!

A total of nine riders started, seven finished. Andy’s brother made it up the first climb before returning home and Scooter, one of the original badass couriers in Australia (and aforementioned Upper Yarra riders) only had time for Woods Point and back. That left Dan, Andy, Joe, Dave, Reuben, Mal and myself for the haul… Enclosed is the ride report for the first leg of this 26.6 MP/C* ride.

Check out a bunch of narrated photos in the Gallery!