The Radavist

If you’re a cyclist of a certain age, you may be able to trace the genesis of your obsession to the campy 1986 classic, RAD. The story of one talented BMXer’s cliché-ridden rise from paperboy to pro, RAD was famously in limbo for decades as a battle for the rights kept it off the shelves. But that’s been settled, and there’s finally a 4K remaster back in circulation. And on Thursday, March 21st, marking 38 years to the day since its original release, that 4K version is being shown in theaters across the country. The re-release is being run by Fathom Events, where you can find a screen near you that’ll take you back to Helltrack. Just don’t over-rotate.

Hard Miles tells the uplifting true story of the bicycling team at Rite of Passage’s RidgeView Academy, a medium-security correctional school in Colorado. The film follows beleaguered coach Greg Townsend (Matthew Modine) as he rounds up an unlikely crew of incarcerated students for a seemingly impossible bike ride from Denver to the Grand Canyon.

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

New Mexico Magazine pinged Albuquerque-based photographer Evan Green to travel down to Las Cruces and chase Hayley Clifford and Matt Mason out on the Monumental Loop for a feature-length article entitled “Monumental Effort“. It’s now online and free to read for all (as media should be) so be sure to hop over and check it out!

What causes stability in bicycles? The most common answer is gyroscopic effects, but this is not right…

Our friends Jon and Nadine’s cyclo-tourism company, Dzil Ta’ah Adventures, based in the Navajo Nation town of Kayenta made it to the travel segment of Condé Nast. We’ve done a few stories with Dzil Ta’ah Adventures over the years, so after you check this out, be sure to visit our archives in the Related footer below…

“It’s important for Navajo Nation to be in charge of this story, because more often than not, that story has been told for, not by, Navajo people,” says Navajo Nation member Donovan Hanley, a legislative staff assistant spearheading tourism development for Navajo Nation Council’s Office of the Speaker. “Jon’s push to tell stories on bikes, the push for adventure, responsible tourism, and sustainable tourism—it really aligns with the Navajo way of life.”

Read the full piece at Condé Nast Travel!

New Mexico has been a hot spot for cycling for a while now, with Outside Magazine Magazine ranking some of our local trails in its Best Bike Rides in the World article, and various companies, including BTI calling it home. But what about smaller companies? What is driving them to move to the chile state? Head on over to the Alburquerque Journal to read all about the reasons for this migration of makers. Check out our coverage for these makers in the Related footer…

Sklar Bikes and Oonee Bike Parking were profiled in the latest from VICE News on the cycling boom and the pandemic…

You might have seen this blip come across your radar over the weekend but if you haven’t check out this wild story:

“When the  Biden administration needed a bike, they came to Bilenky Cycle Works… On May 23, 2021, Stephen Bilenky  received a cryptic email from the US Department of State Office of Diplomatic Gifts, requesting a custom USA-made bicycle for an unnamed foreign dignitary to be delivered by June 5. “Is this a scam?” Stephen wondered. Despite his misgivings, he replied to the email and agreed to a Zoom meeting the next day. In that meeting, he was assured that this request was legit. A color scheme of red, white and blue (to match the flags of both countries) and the fact that the foreign leader was 5’8” tall were hints. Only after Bilenky agreed to take on the project was it revealed that the gift was for bicycling enthusiast and UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Putting everything else aside and working 14 hour days, Stephen and his team created a masterpiece in under 2 weeks. When your country calls, you answer!  The final product was delivered to Washington, DC in time for the President’s trip overseas. “

Read the full story at Bilenky!

Our friend Leo Rodgers landed a spot on national television Monday morning on the CW’s All American Stories series. You can watch this 7-minute mini-documentary short over at the CW Seed for free. If you’ve got spare time this morning, we highly recommend it!

What a pleasure it is to see cycling on the cover of a magazine on the New Yorker. For this forthcoming October 26th issue, artist R. Kikuo Johnson normalizes cycling as a form of legitimate transportation, even with a child in tow. While it does create a bit of visual conflict with public transit, not automobiles, we can look past that as an unintended byproduct of the artist’s vision. Hopefully, there will be more pro-cycling and transportation advocacy articles within the pages of the New Yorker. Check out the full cover below…

The New Yorker recently released this documentary, featuring pro mountain bikers Andréane Lanthier Nadeau, Miranda Miller, plus pro rider and Olympic ski cross medallist Brittany Phelan, examining their relationship with crashing. Check out the full article at the New Yorker.

Photo by Stephanie Keith / Getty

I’m sure you’re on the edge of reading-fatigue as the world’s largest civil rights protest has engulfed all aspects of your life. It is important, however, to note that these two-wheeled mechanisms we ride are inherently political. The New Yorker has a great piece on how this politicized form of transportation has played a crucial role in the current protests:

“A week ago, on Wednesday night, the third night of a citywide curfew in New York, police officers were seen confiscating bicycles. Posts on social media described N.Y.P.D. officers violently seizing bikes from peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrators, who were continuing to march in defiance of the 8 p.m.. lockdown. In one widely shared video clip, a jittery camera captured a cop wheeling an apparently commandeered bike; a woman can be heard screaming at police, asking why bikes are being taken, and how protesters are supposed to travel home. Another piece of viral footage, retweeted by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, among others, shows three policemen clubbing a cyclist with batons on a Manhattan street. It’s unclear whether the man was arrested, or what became of his bicycle.”

If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it. Head on over to the New Yorker.

In news that no one has to be surprised at, Vice takes a look at the top 10 most dangerous cities for cycling in an interesting, yet terrifying article. As someone who calls Los Angeles home, I must say I’m not surprised, but like the article notes, cycling is the answer to helping save the environment we’re all aware of, yet we’ve got a long way to go to make streets safer…

“In 2019, more and more cities across America are encouraging their residents to commute by bicycle. Cycling, of course, is good for the environment in terms of reducing pollution from car-dominant streets, and it’s a healthier way to travel.

But cities gaining new cyclists are quickly, tragically finding that they do not have the proper infrastructure to keep them safe. Cyclist fatalities have gone up 25 percent across the U.S. since 2010, and up 10 percent in 2018 itself, while all other traffic fatalities have decreased.”

Read on at Vice.

Last Sunday, the Los Angeles Explorers Club convened in San Marino a the Cub House for a “historic” ride through the surrounding neighborhoods of South Pasadena and Pasadena, stopping at famous homes featured in Hollywood movies from the ’80s. Included in the list were houses used in Teen Wolf, Back to the Future, Pretty in Pink, Terminator, Halloween (technically 1978), Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, and more.

Aimee Gilchrist, the LA Explorers Club founder, dressed up as Doctor Emmett Brown from Back to the Future, as she guided a rather large group of cyclists through picturesque, tree-lined streets, on a 14-mile jaunt around town. Afterward, a dance-off competition ensued, all while BBQ eats and beverages were sold.

If you like informative and very relaxed rides like this, be sure to follow the Los Angeles Explorers Club on Instagram!

Illustration by Dave Walker

The guardian has an amazing cartoon strip up on cycling in the city, down to some of the issues plaguing urban environments, a Jungian archetype illustration, as well as an interesting column on what would make cycling SAFER! Hint: it’s not helmets. Check the whole thing out at the Guardian!

If you like these illustrations, see more of Dave’s work at his website, Cycling Cartoons.