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VIDEO: Belén Solo Winter Overnighter

After her first solo overnighter in Kyrgyzstan, Belén Castelló decided it was time to push herself once again but this time in a winter camping environment. Watch as she rides in the forests of Teruel in Spain, where she also shares her thoughts and realizations during this adventure…

Testing Grounds: An Instant Coffee Round Up

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Testing Grounds: An Instant Coffee Round Up

When it comes to creature comforts, it’s hard to skimp on coffee, especially with so many instant coffee offerings popping up. While we love to savor freshly ground beans and an Aeropress on a bike tour, in the interest of space and weight savings, it’s hard to beat a solid instant brew.

We asked some of our editors–Hailey, Spencer, Josh, and John–to bring some of their favs on a recent Radavist Retreat in Tempe, Arizona and after a morning ride, we sampled them. After our tasting party, we have some thoughts to share with y’all. Check out a quick instant coffee roundup below!

MSR’s New Titanium Cookwear Products

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MSR’s New Titanium Cookwear Products

Mountain Safety Research, MSR, just introduced three new products to its Titanium cookware assortment for spring 2024 – a Titan Double Wall Mug ($49.95), Titan Long Spoon ($17.95), and Titan Spork ($14.95). The brand also refreshes the collection with thoughtful updates to their Titan Kettles and its 450 mL Titan Cup, all designed to be more functional, packable, and long-lasting. We love titanium cookware, as it requires no non-stick surface, and as such, it can be used directly in a campfire (except the double wall mug and other insulated containers.) Some of our editors have titanium cookware in their kit that they’ve had for over a decade with no sign of wavering.

See the full lineup at MSR.

The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between

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The Altai Traverse Part 2: Two Towns with the Same Name and a Mongolian Paradise in Between

This is a continuation of Ryan Wilson’s Altai Traverse Reportage. Read part one here: The Altai Traverse: Finding Tracks in the Mongolian Countryside

In a remote corner of the Mongolian Altai, about 40 kilometers from the border with China, I set off toward a desolate valley from the small, windswept, and dusty village of Bulgan. My next resupply point, about 125km down the road, was, confusingly, another town named Bulgan. I never quite got the hang of the Mongolian naming schemes in my time there, as it was quite common to find a handful of towns and villages across the country with identical names on any given map, and sometimes each town had two or three names they might be referred to by depending on which map you’re looking it, which sometimes makes it tricky getting reliable information.

The Radavist 2023 Calendar: September

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The Radavist 2023 Calendar: September

“S24O” is the ninth layout of the Radavist 2023 Calendar. It was shot with a Canon 5DMIII and a Canon 24-70 f2.8 lens in 2014 just outside of Walnut Creek, CA. Photographed by John Watson.

“We are always cranking out content over here at The Radavist but sometimes it’s nice to reflect back on our past Reportage. This photo came from a photoset from a S24O outside of Walnut Creek, CA…”

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2023 – September. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)

The mobile background this month is a vertical crop from the same early morning. Click here to download Augusts’s Mobile Wallpaper.

A Simple Solution for a Simple Problem: A Shovel Research Rod Steward Review

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A Simple Solution for a Simple Problem: A Shovel Research Rod Steward Review

Does it get much better than small makers addressing niche demands within a niche sector of the bike industry? I don’t think so. One of my favorite parts about running this website is showcasing and highlighting cottage industry bike businesses. Shovel Research is a small machine and fabrication shop that makes well-designed products that address a niche demand. One of which is its Rod Steward, a bag support designed for the Fab’s Chest by Ron’s Bikes, but as I found out on my Rivendell Bombadil, it works well with a Rivendell Sackville BagBoy bag.

Let’s check out a quick review below…

DziłTa’ah Adventures is Open for Business and Advocating for Guided Bike Tours in Navajoland

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DziłTa’ah Adventures is Open for Business and Advocating for Guided Bike Tours in Navajoland

Founded in 2016 by Jon Yazzie and Nadine Johnson, DziłTa’ah Adventures runs bike and packraft tours from their home base in the town of Kayenta inside the Navajo Nation. While we’ve documented multiple experiences with the nascent outfitter – including Hunt’s Mesa, John’s Canyon, Yellow Dirt routes, and others – getting the business off the ground hasn’t been easy for John and Nadine. Last winter, Josh Weinberg reconnected with Jon, along with a group of photographers including Chris Burkard, Jeremy Bishop, and Murray Smith for an unforgettable tour along one of DziłTa’ah Adventures’ most popular routes to learn about what’s next for their guiding operation…

#swiftcampoutphotoshootout is Rolling! Have You Submitted?

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#swiftcampoutphotoshootout is Rolling! Have You Submitted?

Here’s a reminder to submit your Swift Campout Photo Shootout photos to Instagram this week!

  • Let us know you’re entering the contest by beginning your caption copy with: “here’s my entry into the 2022 #swiftcampoutphotoshootout !”
  • Tag @theradavist and @swiftindustries in the photo and in the caption.
  • Must enter by 11:59 PM Friday, July 1st deadline!

Let’s see what you got this past weekend, folks! The winner will receive a full limited-edition 2022 Swift Campout kit! A 27.5 Adventure Carbon Wheelset from Hunt Wheels! Tires from SimWorks! Coffee from Black Coffee Roasters of Missoula; Sandals from Bedrock Sandals; titanium puffin’ accessories from Dangle Supply; rad wearables from The Radavist!

Archive Re-Up: Escaping Black Friday with Bicycle Camping, Bourbon, and Black Coffee

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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!

When I Say Hike, You Say Bike: A Swift Campout Double Feature

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When I Say Hike, You Say Bike: A Swift Campout Double Feature

It’s pretty clear that I really like bikes, and I really like camping. A lot of us are here because we like combining the two. I’m also very lucky that my partner also likes bikes and camping, and we live in a place where it’s fairly easily accessible to do both. However, For whatever reason, I’ve never managed to actually do a trip over the Swift Campout weekend, and, it looked like the same thing might happen this year! So, we decided that we might cheat a little, and do a close-to-home, Thursday night camp and take advantage of some beautiful weather. All the while still getting our respective work, and school days in. Ideally leaving the rest of the weekend open to *maybe* sneak another ride and camp night in, you never know.

Seeking Adventure In My Own Backyard: Tour Costa de Hermosillo

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Seeking Adventure In My Own Backyard: Tour Costa de Hermosillo

La Costa de Hermosillo is the name for a vast expanse of land that covers from the west of the city of Hermosillo all the way to the coast of the Gulf of California, 100 km (60 miles) away. Once part of the territory where the Comca’ac Natives thrived, nowadays it’s mainly used for agriculture; during the 19th century, the Comca’ac, most frequently called “Seri” which means “people of the sand” in Yaqui language, were persecuted and almost wiped out completely by the Mexican army and ranchers who had interest in this territory, and the few survivors of the already dispersed Comca’ac Nation were progressively displaced further and further towards the coast till they reached the land they occupy today, where water is scarce and life conditions are harsh. Rain is not often seen around here, and agriculture is only possible via drilling wells and bringing water from other parts. La Costa de Hermosillo is flat as it is possible for land to be, so making long distances by bike in this region is a matter of keeping your bars straight and moving early, because it’s usually around noon that the wind picks up.

Radar

Swift Campout Video Challenge 2021

Our friends the SKID LIZARDS take sharing the gospel of bike-camping every bit as seriously as they take spreading the stoke of the skid! Once again, we’re collaborating with them to launch the SWIFT CAMPOUT VIDEO CHALLENGE! That’s right, Campers, it’s your time to shine! Consider this our challenge to you — we want to see your 2021 Campout experience: the good, the bad, the ugly, the hilarious.

Capture your Campout on vid — iPhone is cool, pro gear is cool too, it really doesn’t matter. We’re looking for creativity, entertainment, hilarity, and meditative scenic inspiration here. Surprise us! One talented winner will have their project shared on the Swift IG and YouTube channels, and will receive A GIANT PRIZE PACKAGE stacked with gear ‘n goodies from Snow Peak, Reyr Gear, Nocs Provisions, Kitsbow, Bedrock Sandals, Rapha, Ombraz, Six Moon Designs, Swift Adventure Co, Black Coffee Roasting, and The Radavist!

*** Edit and share footy to IGTV the week of June 21. Deadline Midnight June 27!

*** TO BE ENTERED INTO CONTEST: 

Must tag @swiftindustries @skidlizards #swiftcampout #swiftcampoutvidchallenge in post! 

Must be no longer than 5-mins in length!

Must meet June 27 deadline! 

Bonus points for sharing to Stories, Reels, and main feed ;)

Stoke the Flames for the 2021 Swift Campout: An Interview with Martina From Swift Industries

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Stoke the Flames for the 2021 Swift Campout: An Interview with Martina From Swift Industries

I feel like I’ve known Martina and Jason from Swift Industries since the brand’s inception. It must have been the 2010 Philly Bike Expo where we first met. Later, I bought an Ozette bag for my Geekhouse touring bike in 2011, and for a number of years, we’ve stayed in close contact. Both the Radavist and Swift Industries grew at parallel trajectories. It’s now 2021 and I realized I’ve never interviewed Martina about the Swift Campout, so today we’re pleased to host a quick interview to stoke the flames for the 2021 Swift Campout, which is coming up fast, on June 19th-20th! So read on below for some insight into this wonderful event!