The Radavist

Every new bike needs a maiden voyage and last Saturday, that’s what we intended on doing. Ben from Argonaut, Billy and I headed out to Estacada, Oregon for some playtime in Mt. Hood National Forest. I had no idea what to expect other than “we’ll be climbing immediately. And that we did. Before reaching the ranger station at mile 25, we were in a good place. Billy’s sidewall blew out, but a simple dollar bill boot fixed that. Aside from the blow out, mechanical systems were good to go. For the time being.

Around mile 48, I noticed Ben and Billy pulled over immediately (I tend to be at the back a lot on 5-8% grade climbs up mountains). In all his crazy torque, Billy popped a spoke on his drive side, rendering his wheel a wobbly mess. I really wanted to finish the projected 120 mile loop but “no man left behind” is a more pressing mantra. At that point, it was snowing, the roads were wet and we were freezing as we descended at a whopping 14mph, awaiting the imminent threat of an exploded wheel. But alas, we made it to the ranger station, where we left Billy to be picked up by car as Ben and I trudged onward.

In the end, 75 miles and 5,200′ of climbing ain’t bad. Truth be told, it was too beautiful up there to make it a hammer fest, so I’m glad a mechanical merited some time off the bike for photos. We ended up at the Safari Club, a vegan’s nightmare. Why? See for yourself in the gallery. This is one of my favorite Recent Roll posts of all time.

Camera: Yashica T4 with Neopan 400 black and white.

I mostly shot with my Hasselblad in Portland and in fact, I didn’t even remember shooting most of these photos. That’s always the sign of a good time! Check out more Portland randomness below.

If I were forced to move anywhere in the USA tomorrow, It’d be LA. Now saying that, I have to admit, I dislike 75% of the “city” but that 25% is mighty tempting and it’s that percentage that brings me back every few months. Last month, I was actually in town for the Mishka LA opening but managed to sneak in some time on the bike, in the bar and at Golden Saddle Cyclery. Even though I was only there for a few days, I had my fill until next time…

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I love riding in LA. Well, not so much in Los Angeles as the Angeles National Forest. It’s home to the biggest climb in the continental United States (the Crest) and the routes you can take are limitless. From Cloud Burst, to Baldy and Mt. Wilson, meandering through the mountains is where I like to be when I visit LA.

So when Kyle asked me where I wanted to go the last time I was in LA, I told him that I didn’t care. His answer: Mt. Wilson and then Mt. Disappointment. I was game, as was Christian, one of Woody, Ty and Kyle’s employees. It was his first ride ever. While he didn’t go in for the haul up to Mt. Disappointment, he stuck his way up to the top of Mt. Wilson. Our day totalled around 65 miles and over 7,200′ of climbing. It was a blast!

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I didn’t get to spend much time on the road bike while in Portland, but one of the two rides I did was with Ben from Argonaut Cycles, Kyle from Chris King, Souphorse and some fellas from the Jens Voigt Army who have been testing custom Argonaut Frames. We left from Portland and rode to Hood River. I borrowed Billy’s Raleigh Record Ace and we headed out towards Mt. Hood.

The route is arguably one of Oregon’s finest, hitting local favorites like Bull Run, Little Switzerland, and Lolo pass.

We concluded at a carbon fiber facility just north of Hood River, where Ben from Argonaut has been working on custom carbon frames. There’s more to this story developing, so sit tight, but for now, check out the photos below.