Chumba‘s 150 mm travel titanium hardtail, named the SLACKR after the cult classic film from Austin, TX, Slacker, just got its official geometry. The brand also rolled out new sizes for its Sendero hardtail and Yaupon drop-bar 29er mountain bike. Let’s check it out.
#Austin
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Reportage
Cycling is More Than Just a Hobby: A Story of Recovery and Community Involvement
Maxwell Johnston, an Austin-based photographer, blends his love for cycling and photography to capture stunning scenery and vibrant local events. He is a dedicated advocate for mental health, sharing his journey of recovery and the positive impact of outdoor pursuits. In this article, he draws parallels between maintaining sobriety and sustaining a passion for cycling, emphasizing the importance of community involvement.
Radar
Chumba Bikes Announces Stoke Custom Wheels
Chumba Bikes just announced the launch of its new wheel-building service under the name Stoke Custom Wheels. The service is owned and operated by Chumba Bikes and will operate out of the Chumba HQ in Austin, TX. Read on to find out more.
Radar
Velo Orange Utility Bar and Rack Review
The Velo Orange Utility Bar and Utility Rack are companion products where the rack component mounts directly to either a flat or riser handlebar. In his review of the Utility combo, Nic Morales writes about the refreshingly simple nature of the design, and his impressions of the setup for bikepacking, commuting, and even on a mini-velo.
Radar
Archive Re-Up: Gideon’s Rivendell Rambouillet S&S Road Bike
When we lost our 2015 image bucket back in 2018, it was a huge bummer, but over the past few months, I’ve been digging out hard drives and re-editing some photos, in the hopes of filling in the bigger holes. With this real winter we’ve been having, I’ve had a bit more free time to take a deep dive into the archives, and today, I’m sharing one of my favorite Rivendell builds I shot while living in Austin: Gideon’s Rivendell Rambouillet Road Bike
Check it out in all its S&S coupled, lugged glory: Gideon’s Rivendell Rambouillet Road Bike
I should also note that my intent here is only to upload lost photos, keeping the text and formatting intact.
Reportage
The Choreography of a Canvas on Wheels: Emily Eisenhart x Cicli Pucci x Specialized Crux Pro
I entered gravel biking by way of art – perhaps not the most traditional point of entry. I’m a muralist who lives in Austin, a bike haven and a city fond of its artists. My love of biking started as a commuter in hilly, urban San Francisco, yet it wasn’t until I moved to Austin that I began to merge my creative pursuits with cycling.
Reportage
Developing a Craft: A 35mm Look into Chumba Cycles Production
It has been a little over a year since we relocated Chumba Bikes to our new, bigger, and brighter shop space in South Austin. We have yet to host an open house here due to COVID and trying to keep our staff as safe as possible. I approached Vince about doing a 35mm photography project to share our new shop space along with the hands that have moved Chumba forward. To showcase our new shop I shot a month’s worth of photos and compiled this gallery. I’m excited to give you a peep into our world at Chumba!
Reportage
The Scenic Route: A Celebration of Austin Texas’ Vibrant Cycling and Creative Communities
There is a particular sensation of Austin on a bicycle. Meandering down hills with the backdrop of limestone cliffs and steel bridges bathed by violet sunsets. Traffic accompanied by the symphony of splashing springs, live music, and bike bells. Gently humid evenings with wafts of cedar trees, whiskey, tacos, and brisket. Scenic Route celebrates Austin’s unique overlaps of culture and nature, artistry and athleticism – dichotomies exquisitely experienced on our bikes. Scenic Route is a collaborative Art show between Will Bryant, Gideon Tsang, Rapha that celebrates Austin Texas’ vibrant cycling and creative communities.
Radar
Dark Realm’s New Crossbody Hip/Sling Bag
Our friends Hanson and Vanessa from Dark Realm down in Austin, TX just announced a new hip/sling bag dubbed the Crossbody. This new bag utilizes Dark Realm’s proprietary dyed XPac fabric dubbed “alligator camo” and is loaded with features.
Specs:
-X10 waterproof canvas (made in US). custom dyed cotton canvas outer with laminated x-ply and waterproof backing for stability and water resistance
-400d packcloth liner fabric
-YKK water resistant zippers (made in US) with silent 550 paracord zipper pulls (made in US)
-lightweight fidlock magnetic buckle on waist strap
-1.5″ wide main strap, adjustable up to 48″ waist/chest
-zippered outer pocket, inner pocket, and 3-slot inner slip pocket
-closed cell foam padded back panel (made in US) for structure and comfort
-cinch straps on sides and bottom
-embroidered art on bottom
-12″ wide // 7″ tall // 4″deep
See more at Dark Realm.
Radar
Chumba is Hiring a Framebuilder, a Customer Service Rep, and an Assembly Tech
Our friends at Chumba are looking to hire some folks to grow its Austin, Texas-based company. They’re looking for a framebuilder, a customer service rep, and an assembly tech. You can roll on over to Chumba to read all the details!
Radar
Archive Re-Up: Escaping Black Friday with Bicycle Camping, Bourbon, and Black Coffee
When we lost our image bucket from 2014-2015 a few years back, a bunch of really great content went blank. Over the years, I’ve been slowly re-upping our archives when I want to add a back-link to a current post or story. That happened last week when writing about the Buckhorn Bags Panniers. I remembered our “Escaping Black Friday” Reportage and tracked down the film scans, allowing me to re-up the fun. I also added the RideWithGPS route to the archive as well. If you’re in the Austin, Texas area and are looking for a good (and difficult) road tour, don’t miss this one!
Archive Re-Up: Escaping Black Friday with Bicycle Camping, Bourbon, and Black Coffee
If there’s a story you remember and really would like to see re-posted, drop it in the comments!
Radar
Real Bike Girl Shit: A Year+ Into the Pandemic
This article is a follow-up to Cinthia‘s piece she penned for us last year entitled Bike Racing, White Privilege and the Coronavirus. Read on for a somber reflection on the time that’s passed from Cinthia below…
Radar
Texas Monthly Profiles Nao Tomii
Nao Tomii from Tomii Cycles recently was profiled in Texas Monthly. Unfortunately, they didn’t upload the video to Youtube so you’ve gotta go over to their site to watch it. If you missed our Tomii Cycles Shop Visit, then check that out in our Related Archives below!
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Emilio’s Tomii Cycles Sunset Chaser Gravel Rig
This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from Austin, Texas. Emilio’s Tomii Cycles Sunset Chaser gravel bike caught our eye on Instagram, so we reached out to Emilio to see if he’d be willing to share his thoughts about the bike. Read on below for more…
Radar
Wahoo Frontiers: Colin Strickland
Wahoo looks at Austin, Texas’ Colin Strickland in their latest Frontiers video. Watch as Colin explains what motivates him to race bikes: “World tour racing is the dream for some and may even be the dream for most cyclists but it was not my dream.”
Radar
Chumba’s Updated 2020 Terlingua Titanium Gravel Bike
With new pricing beginning at $2,250.00, the Chumba titanium Terlingua gravel bike is closer to reality than you might expect. Of course, as with any frame made by Chumba, you can select various options like pump pegs, Di2 routing, rack mounts, fender eyelets, and so on. These frames use oversized Aerospace Titanium 3/2.5 tubing, 6/4 on the yoke, and dropouts with Paragon Sliding Inserts. Singlespeed, geared, whatever. It just works. With post-mount, flat-mount options, cerakote finishing, and color customizations, you can literally get your dream bike made for less than you’d think, all on a chassis that clears up to a 700c x 50mm or 650b x 2.1” wheel/tire combo.
Specs:
-Made in USA quality
-Oversized Aerospace Titanium 3/2.5 Grade Tubing, 6/4 on the yoke and dropouts w/ Paragon Sliding Inserts
-Clean thoughtful cable routing
-Maximum tire and drivetrain clearances for a wide range of options and mud clearance
-All tubes are heat sunk and argon purged when welded to prevent distortion and material thinning
2020 Terlingua Titanium Model Refinements:
-removed Di2 ports standard (why pay for it unless you need it, we can add this on request.)
-removed lower rack mounts standard (why pay for it unless you need it, we can add this on request.)
-Lowered MSRP
-No other changes, this bike is dialed!
See more at Chumba.
While we’re on the subject, Mark from Chumba wrote a blog piece about framebuilding on their website, don’t miss this one!
Reportage
Gideon’s Icarus All Road Bike is a Vessel to Experience Silence
Longtime readers might recognize this bike. I first documented it in 2015. Unfortunately, when our server crashed, we lost the images from 2015-2016, so when I had the opportunity to re-document it, I had to jump on the opportunity. The frame was built by Ian Sutton of Icarus Frames. It was designed to clear a 45mm 700c tire, and yes, those are quick-release axles! This bike was ahead of its time in terms of “gravel bikes” and it’s still alive and well, now rolling under my bud Gideon Tsang who bought it a little while back. Gideon is a good friend of mine, going on 10 years. He’s a spiritual person, a counselor, and as much of a sage individual as anyone I know. Check out this piece he wrote for the Radavist about riding bikes and embracing the silence only found on self-isolating rides…
Reportage
Tomii Cycles Showcase: Elvin’s Sportif Pass Hunter
This year was to be the first year Nao Tomii of Tomii Cycles was going to attend NAHBS. For a small builder like Nao, spending the kind of money it takes to pull a seat up to the table of the USA’s largest hand made bicycle show takes a lot of financial planning, so when NAHBS was postponed this year, Tomii Cycles wouldn’t be able to attend. Most builders display customer’s bikes at NAHBS and asking his clients to wait four more months for their bikes, especially during a pandemic was out of the question. I reached out to Nao and asked if we could display his bikes here at the Radavist, so we’re doing just that…