The Radavist

For fans of the Porcelain Rocket Mr Fusion, you’ll notice some key updates to this stable saddle pack platform. The support bar is now curved to match the line of the pack. Now, Mr. Fusion comes in a 12 or a 15 size. Mr. Fusion 12 is the same size as the old Mr. Fusion.  The included drybag has a capacity of 8-12L.  Mr. Fusion 15 is the new Mr. Fusion XL.  The included drybag has a capacity of 10-15L.  See Porcelain Rocket for clearance requirements. These are in stock now, although the XL is momentarily sold out… Head to Porcelain Rocket for more!

While a lot of attention has been put into stable support mechanisms for saddle packs, there have been few attempts at solid cargo carrying methods for handlebar bags. Vapcycling’s Butterfly Guns system is being used on the Silk Road Race as I’m typing this. It offers a stable and secure way to carry up to 10 liter dry bags. The kit is available in either a drop bar or a flat bar application with a standard bag size or a small bag size, to ensure your kit is as dialed as it can be. The unique support rack allows for the mounting of lights in front of the bag, is made in Italy, and in stock now at Vapcycling.

Here’s the latest from the 36 Hours in Kitsbow series, as a group of friends escapes to Catalina Island. Be on the lookout tomorrow for photos from this trip!

Velo Orange has historically only offered their  Polyvalent and Piolet as framesets until now. They just announced the details of their new Complete Polyvalent and Piolet Complete Bikes. The Polyvalent has two build kits:  Drop Bar or Upright Bar. Both options come with SRAM 11 speed kits, a full-component kit of VO parts and accessories, and Teravail 650bx47mm Rampart Tires. Polyvalent Complete: $2,400 USD

The Piolet features their Curvy Bars and an 11 speed Shimano SLX drivetrain, Deore Hydraulic Brakes, and Teravail 29×2.4 Honcho Tires (or 26×2.4 Maxxis Ardent for the Small size). Piolet Complete: $2,200 USD

Head to Velo Orange for more details and read Morgan’s review of the Polyvalent here.

So glad this video is out!

“Music For Free” is a musical celebration of wild people and places on the Great Divide from Canada to Mexico. After half a decade of musical tours powered by a bicycle, musician and poet Ben Weaver will ride 2700 self-supported miles from Banff Canada to the US Mexico border carrying his banjo and guitar giving free concerts to the communities along the way. Following the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route on its 20th anniversary year the objective of this journey, aptly titled Music for Free, was to celebrate the people who have supported this iconic route and its riders while dissecting the question “What is wildness?”.

Producer and musician: Ben Weaver ”

You can also catch screenings of the video at the following locations and dates:

9.19 – Bike Fun Fest, Missoula, Montana
9.21 – Whitefish Bike Retreat, Whitefish, Montana
9.22 – The Stray Bullet Cafe, Ovando, Montana
9.24 – Fitzgerald’s Bicycles, Idaho Falls, ID
9.25 – Saturday Cycles, Salt Lake City, UT
9.27 – Wolverine Farm, Fort Collins, CO
9.28 – Pedal, Litteton, Co

Three Norwegians take to the Pacific Northwest to tour the Oregon Timber Trail.

There aren’t a whole lot of options on the market for those seeking a rigid MTB for shredding trail or bikepacking on. So when a brand like Kona, with their expansive dealer network, puts out something like the Unit X, it piques our interest. With a 29 x 2.6″ wheel platform, multiple bottle bosses, including on the fork, a compact geometry for easier mounting, and SRAM Eagle gearing, it seems like a no-brainer for those looking to make their home trails a little more engaging, or for someone trying to tackle singletrack touring. See more information at Kona.

These days, just about every portage company has developed some sort of bikepacking bag line, yet in this sea of strap-on bags, Evoc has done something truly unique. Their new bikepacking lineup utilizes a Boa fit system to ensure a stable and versatile attachment. This system is unlike anything else on the market, allowing users to build out their bikepacking setup with ease. Included in this launch are a Boa Fit Seat pack, a Boa Fit Handlebar pack, a multi-fit bag, and a top tube bag. The Boa line will be available in August of this year, while the top tube and multi-fit bags are available now, so keep an eye on Evoc for more information. See some more product sneak peek photo and specs below.

Interestingly, it seems the Blackburn Ranger program might be ramping back up, after being canceled last year…

“In early July 2019, three Blackburn Rangers set out to ride the Colorado Trail. At a length of more than 500 miles, and with climbing that adds up to more than 70k feet of elevation gain, the CT is no small feat in a normal year. The week before they departed, Colorado’s snow pack was 40 times higher than normal following a spring solstice storm. Emphasizing “Fun Over Fast,” this is the preview of their story.”

I can’t wait to see where this is going!

Jenny Graham currently has the world record for the fastest woman to cycle around the world solo – 124 days. Currently, she’s racing the Colorado Trail. Her talk begins at 7pm at the Marin MTB Museum, this Thursday, August 1st.

Tomas Quinones was at the right place at the right time with the right equipment and saved an elderly man and his dogs from dying from exposure in the Oregon desert.