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Dirt drops are mentioned periodically here on The Radavist, usually in the context of a modern hardtail, rigid mountain bike, or adventure touring bike. But where did this terminology come from, and how are vintage dirt drops wildly different from what we have today? Using his 1983 Steve Potts as a platform for discussion, John unfurled the unique history behind this bike and looked at a proper 1980s dirt drop setup. Let’s check it out.
For the final video in the Vintage MTB Restoration Series, John takes his time on the final build, savoring all the details, and then takes the 1984 Ritchey Annapurna on a sunset ride in his neighborhood trails. Enjoy!
Thanks again to the Bicycle Collective in St. George, Utah, for sending this bike in!
… and a big thank you to EARTH for allowing creators to use their music!
Music: Earth “Omens and Portents1- The Driver”
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For part two in this Vintage MTB Restoration Beautiful Builds video, John shows how to remove seized parts from the frame as he tackles a stuck bullmoose quill insertion on this Ritchey Annapurna with one easy step!
This week, Sim Works introduced a new 26 x 2.3″ version of its popular Panaracer-produced Volummy tire ($64). Plump, round, slick tires with a large air capacity provide a comfortable, smooth, and efficient ride. Volummy strikes a sweet spot on puncture resistance and durability with supple, pliable construction…
Our Readers’ Rides today features Marty and his Rocky Mountain Blizzard that has been passed around to several people in Minnesota but has finally settled down in his care. Let’s check it out!
Following up on the epic Stridsland Beachcomber Origin Story Matias penned for us earlier this month, pre-orders for Beachcomber framesets in both steel and titanium are going live on the Stridsland site Thursday, February 1, at 16:00 CET (07:00 PST).
Matias sent through some fresh photos of his Ti Beachcomber with the custom-sized partial Wit Slingers frame bags he’s offering with the framesets and DANG does it look good.
Wende Cragg’s contributions to cycling and her documentation of the sport over the years are unquantifiable. And here at The Radavist, we’ve been fortunate to have her sharing snapshots of that history, from her moving piece about the origins of mountain biking, to her return to Crested Butte last year for the Pearl Pass Tour after a forty-two-year hiatus.
Wende is back today to share another special story we think you’ll thoroughly enjoy. This time, Wende pens an ode to her custom 1983 Breezer Series III built for her after multiple ill-fitting predecessors (including one of the ten original Breezer Series I). To top it off, she enlisted Joe Breeze to share a few insights about her one-of-a-kind bike and the general evolution of early Breezers. Let’s get right to it below!
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!
26+ ain’t dead, it’s just getting harder to find these plus sized tire diameters. WTB isn’t selling these direct to consumer any longer but they have opened up OE manufacturer sales. Of which, Crust Bikes bought a boatload and have stocked this hard to find tire size at its web shop. So, if you’re hunting for a 26″ x 2.8″ tire for your tourer, now’s the time to stock up. In stock and shipping today from Crust Bikes.
When Brooks England decided to resurrect the legendary B72 saddle ($190), the brand reached out to John to use his 1980 Ritchey as a model to showcase the saddle’s history of being mounted to some of the first mountain bikes. Then, to offer a modern comparison, they built up a stunning Stooge Cycles Speedbomb. The resulting builds are eerily similar in some ways and worlds apart in others, yet the Brooks B72 looks right at home on both bikes. Let’s check out the new B72, including John’s quick review, below.
You’ll never know who you’ll meet while on the road, and sometimes, the characters floating around campsites within our National Forests are as colorful as the natural surroundings. While John and Cari were cashing in on some long overdue R&R last week in the mountains of New Mexico, they met a fella with a Ritchey Annapurna and quite the story to tell…
When it comes to vintage mountain bikes of the mid-1990s, it’s hard to not mention the 1995 Kona Cinder Cone. It had one of the most unique stances at the time and the painted to match fork and stem were straight from the playbook of something small time framebuilders were and are still doing today. Thomas sent in his Cinder Cone and the final product included some clever metalwork. Read on to find out and for some of Thomas’ delicious photos!
Forever tinkering with his bikes, John recently wrapped up a complete restoration of the 1983 Ritchey Everest that we looked at last year. Remember? The gray one? The bike appeared to have been subjected to a sloppy respray at some point in the early 2000s, and John wanted to restore the bike to its formal glory.
He pinged Rick at D&D, the guy who has painted more Ritchey frames than perhaps anyone, to respray the Everest in Imron Bright Gold paint with the uber-rare Palo Alto Ritchey decals to finish the look. The Everest also had a “touring package” added when Tom built the frame in 1983. Since John acquired it, the Everest has always felt a bit naked without the proper racks…
We know John’s posted a lot of vintage projects over the past few years, but this might be the best yet! Let’s check it out below…
1983 was a pivotal year in the beginning of the almighty MountainBike. Shimano introduced Deer Head M700, MKS, the XCii sealed cartridge bearing pedal, and just a year prior, Ritchey debuted the Everest. Shown here in its vernacular: NorCal fire roads and singletrack…
We’ve looked back at the early works of Jeff Lindsay’s brand Mountain Goat before with John’s Whiskeytown Racer profile but today our focus is a wild creation from 1988; the Mountain Goat Dinoflage Deluxe. Writer Zap Espinoza shares the Mountain Goat origin story and an interview with Lindsay about his work at Mountain Goat—let’s get to it!
While I’m a big fan of converting older 26″ MTB wheels to tubeless, I have found that if you let the bikes sit for a month or two without riding, the bead will unseat and the tires will go flat. Here in the Southwest, that means that the sealant usually dries up by the time you’ve noticed. I still believe that a tubeless setup is crucial if you have a bike you ride a lot, but when you have a few vintage bikes in your fleet that don’t see as much regular rotation, that can become a lot to manage. Once the bead breaks and the sealant dries up, you must completely clean the rim and tire out to re-seat it. Not ideal!
A few weeks ago, while inserting Tannus Armour Tubeless rim protectors into my 29er, I noticed the brand also makes Tannus Armour Inserts, designed to be run with inner tubes. These inserts are very similar to the tubeless inserts but don’t require the upkeep or regular mileage that tubeless systems demand, particularly with vintage rims.
Last week I posted my Yo Eddy! restoration and, after I shot those photos, I got a few flats from thorns. So, instead of resorting to my normal tubeless conversion, I decided to give these Armour Inserts a try.
Let’s check out what that entails below!
Before we jump in, let’s take a look back: This has been such a fun process to undertake over the course of the past nine months. For those who are just tuning in, I bought a frame from Martin, owner of Second Spin Cycles, last year after he had acquired a substantial Fat City Cycles collection. Among his lucky haul was this Yo Eddy! in the team lavender livery with rack mounts, a pump peg, and some frame damage.
While the bike was in Rick’s care at D&D for some repairs and a paint respray, I began collecting period-correct parts from various sources. After re-finishing some of them and getting the bike back, I just finished the build this week. Monday night was the maiden voyage of the new and improved Yo Eddy! and I took some glamour shots here in Santa Fe, so let’s check this beaut out below!
This morning’s Readers’ Rides was sent in by Filippo from Italy and features his beloved all-rounder; a 1992 Marin Team Issue. Let’s check it out in detail below!
