The Radavist

Our friends Sarah and Jorja pulled together this video, showcasing how Sarah is preparing for the Tour Divide this year:

Sarah Swallow, professional adventure cyclist, cycling the 2021 Tour Divide Route. In this video we find out more about; 1. Who she is 2. What she is setting out to achieve 3. Where she is at with her preparation for the 2021 Tour Divide 4. and answers some questions from friends and family Check out her GoFundme for the Cairn Project here;

“For this challenge, I am teaming up with The Cairn Project to fundraise $5,000 to provide outdoor opportunities for more young women and girls. I have had the incredible privilege and opportunity to make my passion for adventure cycling as my work. I want to help create accessible pathways for more young women and girls to pursue a similar lifestyle, adventure goal, or profession. I never knew this life of mine was possible or even an option. If young women and girls could feel inspired by what I do and see that they could do it too, or to get exposed to what they love to do outdoors at an early age, I think it could make a positive impact on their lives, and the lives of others around them. Over the next few months, I’ll be fundraising for The Cairn Project by sharing my story as a young girl and how I found purpose in life through riding my bicycle as I prep my mind, body, and equipment for one of the most significant endeavors of my life. To learn more about my trip, read my blog post. To follow my journey, follow me on Instagram.

Patrick from Bikes or Death sat down with Kevin from RideWithGPS to discuss route planning and navigation in this 2+ hour long podcast video. Got some time to listen to an informative podcast this morning? Give this a listen!

Filmed on locations featured in seven new and six existing cycling itineraries in the Cateran Ecomuseum, ‘Built to Last’ features Bob Ellis, founder of the Cateran Trail, Neil Tuer, owner of Alyth Cycles and Jane Wilkinson, willow weaver at Special Branch Baskets, with music from Scottish composer Dave Macfarlane. The film was produced as part of Travel for All Our Tomorrows – new regenerative tourism experiences in the Cateran Ecomuseum.

Cutthroat C AXS Build shown here $7,199 USD.

The Cutthroat is a favorite amongst Tour Divide aficionados and weekend warriors alike. Back in 2015, when it was announced, the Cutthroat got tested out on the Tour Divide course and it remains a fan favorite today. While the frame hasn’t changed since our Review of the 2020 model last year, it does come in four new build specs, plus as a frameset. Head to Salsa to read all about the 2021 Cutthroat builds.

Bellingham’s Ground Keeper Custom has teamed up with Loam Equipment to add some color to their bikepacking harnesses, with five colorways available, ranging from oil slick (pictured) to Space Ferns. Each of these harnesses are designed to hold drybags for your goods while bikepacking.

Saddle Harness Specs:

-Made in Bellingham, WA
-Weight: 172.5g (6.08 oz)
-Using with a dropper post? Snag one of these Wolftooth Valais 25  for the best fit.
-Ladder lock buckles come in mystery colors, which keeps factory overrun parts out of landfills.
-Bag sold separately. Harness works with most 8-13 liter or 18“-24” cylindrical stuff sacks or dry bags.

Handlebar Harness Specs:

-Made in Bellingham, WA
-Weight: 231g (6.08 oz)
-Ladder lock buckles come in mystery colors, which keeps factory overrun parts out of landfills.
-Extra fat foam blocks help clear brake/shifting cables and maintain space for hands on road bars
-Bag sold separately. Harness works with most 8-13 liter or 18“-24” cylindrical stuff sacks or dry bags.

See the entire bikepacking collection at Ground Keeper.

While you’re hopefully enjoying that beautiful Flaat Rod Reportage gallery, don’t miss Rodeo Labs’ recap of their Kokopelli Trail tour. See the full story at Rodeo Labs.

Tumbleweed Bicycle Co has made a name for itself thanks to its super durable, no-nonsense touring apparati. From a Rohloff touring frame to their Prospector bars and their unobtanium T-Rack and Mini Pannier Racks, they have you covered for back country trips both short and long. By popular demand, their racks are back available for presale, so head on over to their webshop to poke around and find one that fits your fancy…

If you’re unfamiliar with the brand, poke around some of our Archives listed in the Related section below.

At roughly the size of a 1000ML Nalgene bottle, with a fill-up time of fewer than 30 seconds, the MSR Guardian Purifier water filter might just be the best filter on the market for all bicycle-related outings, yet it will cost ya… Let’s take a look at this game-changing filter in detail below.

The Swift Campout is a global call to go bike-camping on June 19th and 20th, 2021. For the seventh year in a row thousands of adventurous spirits will load camping gear on their bikes for a weekend adventure. In the words of Martina Brimmer, Swift Industries head honcho and the visionary behind Swift Campout, “Here at Swift, we believe that there’s little better than spending the longest day of the year on a bicycle and the shortest night of the year sleeping under the stars. The entire Swift crew, from our stitchers to our coin-counters, is driven to delight our communities toward bicycle adventure.

This year’s featured artist is none other than bike industry mainstay Chris McNally, whose signature watercolor style conjures a dreamscape of fantasy environments with cuddly critters to explore on two wheels. The scavenger hunt theme of the new Campout microsite invites digital exploration, too! Campers are encouraged to lose themselves in Chris’s wonderland, discovering fun and informative hidden gems as they “pedal” through. In its 7th year, the Campout recipe of partnering with like-minded outdoor brands to amplify the encouragement for cyclists of all experience levels and abilities to take to the trails for a weekend of bike-camping is a timely and relevant invitation to re-engage with the community in cherished outdoor spaces. Swift continues to push the envelope as a gear brand that has put roots in a unique space between the cycling and outdoor industries–two marketplaces whose cultures did not overlap when Swift Industries entered the arena in 2008.

Swift keeps nurturing their culture by gathering a unique blend of cycling and outdoor brands such as Bedrock Sandals, Black Coffee Roasters, Kitsbow, Nocs Provisions, Ombraz, The Radavist, Rapha, Reyr Gear, Six Moon Designs, Snow Peak, and Swift Adventure Co.

Head to Swift Campout to read all the details!

Please see Part 01 here: Top 11 finalist for the 2021 “Lael Rides Alaska” Femme-Trans-Women’s Scholarship: Part 01
and Part 02 here: Top 11 finalist for the 2021 “Lael Rides Alaska” Femme-Trans-Women’s Scholarship: Part 02
and part 03 here: Top 11 finalist for the 2021 “Lael Rides Alaska” Femme-Trans-Women’s Scholarship: Part 03

Design a 1,000-mile route in Alaska, tell me your plan, about yourself and what you need to make it happen. We’ll supply the bike, gear and a travel stipend and then you get to go do it this summer.

I am blown away by the honesty and ambition of this year’s applicants. They told true, sometimes hard, stories and hopes for the future. This has been a difficult year for everyone and I am deeply inspired by all who applied and shared openly about their experiences and their drive for adventure and challenge.

With the help of Cari Carmean, Natsuko Hirose, Kailey Kornhauser and Abigale Wilson, we narrowed the 126 applicants down to 11 finalists. I am beyond excited to announce that Dorothy O’Donnell and Olivia Juarez are the two recipients of the 2021 “Lael Rides Alaska” Femme-Trans-Women’s Scholarship…

Hannah Griggs from Queercyclist sent over this short video showcasing a recent trip her and her friends went on that ended up being more like bikeglamping and less like bikepacking…

Photo by Nathan Burnside

Update! See our coverage here:
–Wind, Chile, Chonk, and the Monumental Loop: the 2021 Dangerbird in Las Cruces
–Scenes from the 2021 New Mexico Bikepacking Summit and the Dangerbird Grand Depart Rider and Bike Portaits

If you don’t follow Monumental Loop on Instagram, then you might have missed the details for this fall’s Dangerbird race/ride. We’ll be there in attendance to ride/tour the Full Bird. Check out all the details from Matt below and don’t miss the Bikes or Death Podcast interview with him too!