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Bikes or Death Sat Down in Santa Fe with John Watson from the Radavist for Episode 69

Episode 69? On 4.20? Three days before my 40th birthday? Why not? lol

A few weeks ago, Patrick from Bikes or Death swung through Santa Fe after hanging with Matt from the Monumental Loop in Las Cruces. We sat down in our new office here in town and chatted about the beginnings of the Radavist, photography, land acknowledgment, and other topics relevant to many of your interests. Patrick is a great guy and spending my Sunday afternoon with him was a real treat. As someone who tries to stay behind the scenes here as much as possible on the site, it’s a great insight into what makes me tick. Check out my ramblings in Episode 69 at Bikes or Death.

If you have questions or comments after the interview, drop them in the comments and I’ll answer them today.

Side note: we’re getting our second shots today! Woooohoooo!

Radar

Santa Fe Fat Tire Society: Santa Fe, Let’s Ride – The Basics of a Mountain Bike & Gear. Episode 1

Our friends at the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society pulled together a beginner’s video to mountain bike riding featuring Kim Klain, a contributor to the Radavist in more ways than one and shred super star. Looking good, guys!

Reportage By: John Watson

Made in Santa Fe: Farewell Bags for Cycling and More – Eric’s Salsa Timberjack

The Pandemic has left people with a lot of free time to pursue new hobbies. How many of your friends became sourdough bakers, xeriscapers, or home improvement gurus with all their newfound time at home? Eric Puckett is a long-time friend who always had sewing skills but once he was forced to work at home and couldn’t spend as much of his time outdoors, he began making bags for cycling, rock climbing, and more. Recently, he made this hobby into a side hustle called Farewell Bags. I caught up with Eric last week to shoot his new bags on his own Salsa Timberjack, so check out more below…

Reportage By: John Watson

Santa Fe Rides: Take a Friend On Up to Deception Peak and Raven’s Ridge

Staying local during the pandemic has been a new thing for me. I’m usually on the road for most of the year, sleeping in our truck, documenting races, rides, people, shops, and communities. I can’t emphasize how strange it has been to just stay put. While it has been a bit of a change of pace, it’s really pushed me to take on as many of the local rides that I can and this week, I took on maybe one of the most infamous trails in our area; Deception Peak and Raven’s Ridge.

Reportage By: John Watson

A Different Kind of Maker: Jacob from Bread Shop Santa Fe and his Surly Cross Check

We visit a lot of makers here at the Radavist. From frames to components to bags. 2020 has put a lot of that on momentary pause, yet I’ve enjoyed meeting cyclists serendipitously since moving to Santa Fe, many of which are small business owners. One of those is Jacob from Bread Shop. He and his wife Mayme, along with his brother Zac run a small bakery that’s big on taste. We’ve been buying loaves once a week from Bread Shop and this week I met up with Jacob to shoot his Surly Cross-Check.

Reportage By: John Watson

Santa Fe After Work Ride: Tesuque Peak Loop – Alamos Vista Trail

Living at 7,000′ has its ups and downs, particularly for someone still acclimating from life at sea level for the past 5 years. One of the positives though is easy access to alpine riding. Well, easy is subjective for sure but if you only have a few hours to kill and want a quick loop that’s equal parts hard as it is beautiful and most importantly, fun, then have I got one local Santa Fe ride for you…

Reportage By: john watson & kyle klain

Santa Fe Rides: Bikefishing on the Rancho Viejo Backcountry Loop with Tenkara Rods

Please note: this trail is closed as of 2021 due to fire damage and flooding. We will update this post once it opens again. Please do not venture into the backcountry on this route!

It’s no secret that the bicycle can be a vessel for linking together with other interests and hobbies. Be it pack rafting or in this case, fishing. The bicycle can get you deep into the backcountry in a relatively short amount of time, compared to hiking, and access areas autos or motos can’t go. With this mobility comes a few problems that require solving first, however. Mainly, how do you carry a fishing pole with you on a bike? Much less a fly rod? Sure, there are a lot of fly rods that pack down to a manageable size, but none are as compact as the mini, yet mighty Tenkara rods.

Reportage By: john watson

An Overnighter in the Santa Fe National Forest

The myriad of trails feels endless here in Santa Fe. With the town butting up against the National Forest with its multiple trail networks all interwoven, and a very popular downhill trail, tying a lot of them together, the possibilities for quick overnighters or bigger backcountry loops feels limitless. It wasn’t until this week that I tapped into its overnighter bicycle camping potential.

Radar

The Radavist is Relocating to Santa Fe

There’s a lot going on in the world right now with the Covid-19 pandemic, which has upended many people’s lives. Unfortunately, this falls right in the middle of our relocation to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Yet, I can’t complain because people are dying from this virus. Our minor inconvenience is nothing compared to that.

It’s obvious that California has been a great host state for our operations over the past five years but I’ve been feeling the draw to move out of the Golden State for some time now, for various reasons, both related to the content of this website and my own personal sanity.

Our move to Santa Fe mostly stems from the fact that recently I’ve found myself gravitating toward smaller-towns, rather than big cities. Cari, my partner, who plays a huge role in the admin side of this site, has family ties to New Mexico. We both wanted to live somewhere at a higher elevation, with easier access to the activities we love and a greatly reduced population. Our road trip through Santa Fe last summer, plus various trips over the years solidified our decision.

Los Angeles’ riding is unparalleled when compared to other major US-cities and hopefully, we’ve shown that over the years. You can’t get much better than the Santa Monica, Verdugo, and San Gabriel mountains, our three major ranges in the area. There are hundreds of miles of easily-accessible dirt roads, singletrack, and doubletrack in the area and it’s been a great community to be a part of.

That said, I personally just get inundated with the constant hustle. Over the years, it’s just gotten to me. Everyone is always moving at 110% and both Cari and I are looking for a calmer environment to live in. What I’m personally looking forward to is documenting the cyclists in Santa Fe, working with the local organizations, and being in the Four Corners. I’ll miss the Sierra, the Mojave, and everything in between, but I look forward to all the Southwest has to offer.

We’re moving as soon as we can, which will probably happen in the next week or so. During this process, we’ll be closing down webshop shipping but continuing the site’s day-to-day content schedule. Please, during this crazy time, be safe out there!

If you’re in the Santa Fe area, be sure to holler, I look forward to riding bikes with you all.

Reportage By: John Watson

Plenty of Stock at Santa Fe’s Broken Spoke

Over the past couple of months, we’ve looked at a few bike shops with very unique business models. From opening their stock up as a rental fleet, to stocking only Rivendell and Bob Dylan, and roadside attractions, looking to recycle as much as possible, we’ve run quite the gammut of business models this summer here on the Radavist. Another shop that I recently documented was Santa Fe’s Broken Spoke and they’re doing something unique in the modern internet sales versus the Local Bike Shop climate…

Reportage By: John Watson

Taking the $5 Blue Bus Shuttle in Santa Fe

Shuttle runs. It’s part of the larger conversation about cycling as a recreational sport and as a medium of fitness. Honestly, it’s one reason why I’m in support of e-bikes. The way I look at it, 5 riders on e-bikes usually mean one or two fewer trucks speeding on the fire road going up… and down! The discussion of lithium batteries is another quagmire, but what exactly are riders to do when there aren’t options out there? Climb up a road for 12 miles on a full suspension bike? Those bikes are designed to go downhill, down to the single, or sometimes complete lack of water bottle mounts. Of course, you can do these climbs but the reality is, people will always opt for a free, or cheap ride.

What about cities that embrace cycling? That look at this particular form of recreation as a resource? Well, they’re onto something.

Reportage By: John Watson

Building Community at Sincere Cycles in Santa Fe

In the modern era, opening a new shop is risky business, especially if you’re trying to just make a quick buck. I’ve watched shops close all around me, yet sometimes the right combination of factors unite and a new shop is born. One of those factors includes a town with a growing cycling scene, access to wilderness, and a supporting cycling infrastructure. Santa Fe just so happens to be one of those rare places in the Four Corners of the Western United States.

Sincere Cycles is the newest venture by Bailey Newbrey. Bailey co-founded Comrade Cycles in Chicago. About two years ago, he left to work with Bobby and crew at District Bicycles. While there, he began to plan out his next move…

Radar

See Ya Later, Santa Fe!

We’re continuing up through the Western United States with Bozeman being our final destination but man, our time in Santa Fe was magical. We’ve got much more content rolling through over the weekend and into next week, so stay tuned and have a great weekend!

Reportage By: John Watson

Try Before You Buy at Santa Fe’s Mellow Velo

“Try before you buy.” It’s not a saying you’d normally associate with a bike shop. Sure, most shops will let you take a bike on a test ride around the block or in their parking lot, but to pull a brand new bike off the shelf and “demo” it for a day, or two, or a whole month, if you so wanted to, is unique. That model was very foreign to me until I walked into Santa Fe’s Mellow Velo.

Radar

We Had a Great Time in Santa Fe

This holiday season, we set our sights on the Land of Enchantment and the beautiful town of Santa Fe. Cari, my partner, and her family have roots in New Mexico, with a sort of tradition of spending time over the holidays in Santa Fe with family friends. This year, I really looked forward to the high desert, Christmas Chili, piñon wood, and luminarias. I’ve wanted to check out the riding in the area, since I’ve only driven through en route to other cycling destinations and although a few massive winter storms hit during our stay, I managed to get out on a pedal with my friend Bailey early one morning.

We mostly spent our time visiting museums, shops, eating at local digs, and I was able to swing through to say hey to the Mellow Velo team. All in all, it left me anxious to return once the snow melts at the higher elevations…

Check out a few more below!

Radar

Chris King and Santa Cruz Commemorate Jonas Johnson’s Life with a Harrys Hoard Contest

Jonas Johnson passed away earlier this year. He was a smiling spirit at Chris King and was loved by many in the industry. For me, I always looked forward to hanging out at tradeshows with him and I was shaken by the news of his death. Chris King and Santa Cruz are looking to raise money to support HarrysHoard.com. Here are the details from Chris King and see more photos of the bike below:

“Win this bike and more prizes while supporting a great cause at harryshoard.com!

A 12-year employee of Chris King, Jonas Johnson passed away this year. He leaves behind his wife, two young children and a baby due in a few short weeks. We’ve gathered prizes Jonas would have loved and you can win them while supporting Jonas’ family.

Up for grabs is a custom Jonas inspired Santa Cruz 5010 (large), with Fox suspension, ENVE wheels, bar, and stem, Shimano XTR, SDG Shibuya saddle, Continental mountain king tires, and Chris King Matte Punch components! We also have a collection of Oakley glasses made for the Rio Olympic athletes, a Moots Ti stem and seatpost, a Fox Prorfame helmet and kit, and three Oakley backpacks! Enter now at HarrysHoard.com”

$10 gets you a ticket, $50 gets you ten. Don’t miss out on this opportunity! See more photos of this beautiful, unique bike below.

Reportage By: John Watson

Giro’s Santa Cruz Effect Two Day Ride

Santa Cruz is a city that never disappoints. No matter what the occasion, I have a blast riding my bike. So when Giro invited me along to their Santa Cruz Effect media event, I gladly accepted.

Even though we were on a pretty tight schedule, we had two days of riding bikes in the woods and coastal roads of NorCal to look forward to. That meant we were to expect a lot of temperature fluctuations throughout the day, the perfect climate for merino wool.

The group included men and women, from all over the world, all of which were related to the cycling industry in some way. We had some locals with us, including Todd from Black Cat, Jeff Traugott, Jake from Steel Wül, along with a few Giro employees. Those dudes put on one hell of a ride, taking us through some great roads and down some incredibly fun (i.e. sketchy) descents.

Here’s our Strava from Day 1 and Day 2 for those interested in a route. I highly suggest doing this as a one-day loop. We were taking it chill…

Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery!

Tools of the trade:
Yashica T4 / Porta 160

Radar By: Nicholas Haig-Arack

Existential Safety: Leatt at 20 – A Conversation with Dain Zaffke

We’re trying something new here at The Radavist. We have been exploring various ways to keep providing free, top-notch photography, reviews, news, and Reportage to our audience, and sponsored content is one way to keep the lights on and the bills paid. We’re unwilling to compromise your trust, so we pledge to always operate with the utmost integrity and be fully transparent about any spon-con on the site.

Full disclosure: this article was supported by Leatt. If you’d like to keep the Radavist independent, please consider joining the Group Ride today – a monthly or yearly subscription is the best way to support the longest-running alternative cycling website.

Whew! Now that that’s out of the way… Our newly-minted Copy Editor, regular Radavist contributor Nicholas Haig-Arack, recently caught up with Leatt’s Dain Zaffke to learn about the brand’s history and discuss matters of safety, both physical and existential. Let’s begin with an intro to Leatt…