The Radavist

You know, sometimes a great bike is just a bike, and that’s enough. It could be your favorite bike of all the bikes you own or have owned. It could also just be the only bike you own. Either way, if you love it, then that’s enough for it to be good or even great. Derek loves this bike. For him, it’s a great bike, great enough to bring back from the dead and give it another life.

Fat bikes. They’re the cycling industry’s lost children. The forgotten ones. Remember when every brand under the sun had a fat bike in their catalog? Now there are only a few brands still putting in the PR&D required to make these bikes less cumbersome, less heavy, and more like a true-to-form mountain bike. One of those brands is Otso, whose Voytek is all of the above and more. I’ve held onto this bike for probably longer than they anticipated, cycling through the winter months, into the spring, and well into the summer. I’ve ridden it in its thicc 26″+ setup and now in its chonk 29+ form and have pulled together a comprehensive argument for why I hope that bikes like the Voytek will stay around for a while…

I grew up working at a Specialized shop, and learned how to mountain bike by watching Ned Overend’s Performance Mountain Biking technique VHS. While I always appreciated the refreshing ideas of small makers, I thought it advantageous for larger brands to be able to invest more in their materials and construction. This was a time when top-end bikes were made of metal, and made domestically.

Metal Matrix (M2) composite is a prime example of this. The big S sourced a 6061 alloy infused with an aluminum oxide ceramic particulate by Alcan. Say that again, backwards now. Alcan called it Duralcan, and I am proud to display their logo on my top tube—that cool typeface!

The almighty basket bike. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Doesn’t need flashy components. Just build it out for practical uses… like wallrides!

Earlier this year, Bailey got the idea to convert this older Rocky Mountain Hammer frame into a basket bike. His intent with the bike was to have a no-nonsense, do-it-all beater that he could lock up anywhere and not worry about it. Yet, because it’s Bailey, there was a twist to this bike’s use…

2018 Philly Bike Expo: Groovy Cycleworks 26″ Homage Rigid Tourer
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk

In ’95 Rody of Groovy Cycleworks was commisioned to make a bike for this same customer, the customer loved the bike so much that 23 years later they commissioned this bike, a more modern version that’s still built around 26″ wheels but shod with a slightly updated geometry.  A Groovy built bike wouldn’t be complete without their Hot Rod cranks with a 24mm spindle meticulously painted to match the 5-color fractured mosaic paint, that alludes to the customers love of architecture and stained glass. The fork is an homage to the old Grove Innovations Hardcore with a scalloped end and box crown, while the Luv Handlebars give the rider an updated posture that they hadn’t had prior.

This homage wouldn’t be complete without a more current 1x drivetrain,  White Industries hubs and headset, as well as the limited gold, anodized Paul Components that can be found all over this bike and are proof that someone still believes in death before discs.

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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and Groovy Cycle Works on Instagram

Austin has a certain gravity. It attracts cyclists of all-wheel types and for Matt, he wasn’t drawn here for the road cycling or mountain biking. Matt began his experience with the bicycle on a BMX. He’s from Australia and Austin has always been the mecca for BMXing in the US. His friends here range from pros to companies like T-1, where he stays while in town.