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Sharing Home: Rapha Prestige Santa Barbara

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Sharing Home: Rapha Prestige Santa Barbara

Following a hiatus in 2020 due to the pandemic, Rapha Prestige returned last year with twelve event locations around the world. Dillon Osleger designed and hosted one of the events in the Los Padres National Forest outside of Santa Barbara, CA. Accompanied by imagery from Jordan Clark Haggard, Dillon describes the Prestige ride along his untraditional route that became an expression of a special place, of its varying ecosystems, unique culture, and epic vistas.

The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship Brings Back Lost & Found in 2022

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The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship Brings Back Lost & Found in 2022

2020 and 2021 brought about many canceled events, of which our beloved Lost & Found gravel race in Portola, California. The Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship just announced that Lost & Found is returning for 2022:

“Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship has announced that the Lost and Found Gravel Festival will return in 2022, in partnership with long-time cycling production team, Breakaway Promotions. Lost and Found will run on June 4th, 2022, and the proposed routes will feature a 101 mile route with 8,100 feet of elevation gain. Shorter 39 mile and 61-mile routes are also available.

The City of Portola contacted SBTS and encouraged the event taking place following a tough 2021. The festival provided an economic boost to the region each year it was held, and the town was ready to get the race going again. In the summer and fall of 2021, the Dixie Fire burned much of the Lost Sierra and created dangerous air quality for months. It was the largest single wildfire in state history. Lost and Found looks to rise from these ashes and create a positive financial impact on the community of Portola in 2022.”

Registration opens in March, so stay tuned and keep an eye peeled on Lost and Found for more updates as events warrant.

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Klunking: Mountain Bike Racing in 1979

Browsing YouTube sometimes reveals some gems, both old and new. In this case, it’s a 1979 news segment, hosted by Steve Fox and showcasing the founders of mountain bike racing. Note that “klunkers” have gears and brakes while “cruisers” are what many refer to as klunkers these days, coaster brake and singlespeed…

There are some gems in this one including:

“Klunking is muddy in the winter, and it’s dusty in the summer…”

“Klunking is best away from the cops, the cars, and the concrete.”

Enjoy!

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The Long Traverse: The Los Padres Traverse Route FKT

The Long Traverse is about learning from, and loving, the landscapes we ride in. Through the story of an iconic 80-mile, 11,000-foot ride, @Christopherblevs, and @dillon.osleger consider the history of a landscape and our place within it, grappling with the realities of forest fires and extraction while letting the bike show us all we can appreciate and learn as people on the land.

The Los Padres national forest spans the Central Coast of California, from the Pacific Ocean to the fringe of the Mojave Desert. This land of many uses hosts world-class biodiversity, the endangered California Condor, 350+ miles of trail, and a multitude of Chumash cultural sites. The Los Padres Traverse route is not only an incredible ride, but it highlights the intersection of recreation, conservation, and climate. Through the trail stewardship and advocacy work of Dillon’s nonprofit Sage Trail Alliance, Christopher established the fastest known time (FKT) along the route. And throughout this process, Christopher learned more about caring for the places he gets to ride in and the communities along the way. Whether you’re trying to complete the traverse in six hours or taking three days to bike pack it with friends, the Los Padres is a place to visit. Likewise, whether you’re a World Cup racer or a Weekend Warrior, we can use the bike to understand our responsibility to take action to better our planet, and we can all dig during trail restoration days.

A Slice of Chico, California Framebuilding History: 1984 Fillet Brazed Mountain Goat WhiskeyTown Racer

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A Slice of Chico, California Framebuilding History: 1984 Fillet Brazed Mountain Goat WhiskeyTown Racer

I’m not sure what got into me this year but I’ve been on the hunt for some vintage bikes. A few months back we looked at an Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra I built up with Dura-Ace 7400, an arguably pretty bike yet it’s nothing special per se. Now this project will be even cooler. It’s a 1984 Mountain Goat Whiskeytown racer I just picked up from Second Spin Cycles

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Forgotten Roads: Old Ridge Route

The final episode of the Forgotten Roads series and Safa Brian and Alex Colorito are close to home but a long way from creature comforts. They ride from Lake Hughes to Lake Castaic just outside of Los Angeles with temperatures near 100º leading up to filming this. Luckily, a bit of cool weather blew in and the two cyclists headed out to take on the Old Ridge Route. The Old Ridge Road is a great look into the past and is one of the most historically significant construction projects in California’s history.

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Forgotten Roads: Idyllwild

Forgotten Roads is a video series by Safa Brian that features some of California’s lesser-known roads and routes. In this episode, Safa and his friend Alex head up to Idyllwild to take on some high elevation dirt…

A First Timer’s Take on Sea Otter

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A First Timer’s Take on Sea Otter

There’s dust, cold, chaos, and bikes.  Bikes everywhere. Almost more bike tracks than footprints in the thick dirt of the Laguna Seca Raceway paddock, where rows of tents and more flags than the eye can count have taken over for the weekend – this is The Sea Otter Classic.  It’s my first time not only to Sea Otter but to a bike expo- having gotten seriously into cycling during the quarantine this first wave of events post- pandemic is also my first wave of cycling events- period. I did my first bike race two months prior, and while there was an expo there it nowhere near compares to this ocean of logos.  Being a photographer in the cycling world this weekend is a chance to connect with clients I haven’t seen in a while, touch base with connections I have prior only talked to through emails and DM’s, and hug the bejeezus out of the rad gravel ladies I photographed for ‘The Leaders of Gravel’, a series here on The Radavist.

A Dyno Pincher-Inspired DeSalvo Gravel Bike for Grinduro California

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A Dyno Pincher-Inspired DeSalvo Gravel Bike for Grinduro California

Editor’s note 3/11/2022: This bike is now for sale over at our parent company, The Pro’s Closet.

And so it goes…

Mike DeSalvo is a friend of mine. I’m a fan of his work (I own a bike from him) and I believe he’s a fan of my work. We’ve done a few projects over the years now. Each one always rooting itself in some sort of nostalgia as the inspiration. Be it our shared love of the Raleigh Team Ti scheme and 80s skateboard graphics. Or his love with Volkswagens, somehow we always, naturally zero in on the thing that inspires both of us.

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A Study of Self: Methods & Madness

Last summer, we featured The Coyote Collective’s Fastest Known Time attempt to link all the 14,000-ft. Peaks in California under human power. Now, we are proud to share their short film documenting the journey, A Study of Self.

“Hypothesis: The California 14ers could be linked up by bike in under 9 days, covering 800 miles of riding, 100 miles of running, and nearly 100K of vertical gain. In August 2020, we set out to test the hypothesis, starting from Mt. Shasta. Charlie, Jonny, and I rode our bikes, and Colin and Nick followed along in the van, filming and having an adventure of their own. We didn’t know how things would unfold, only how hard we’d worked to make it all come together, and how much fun we were having figuring it all out with our best friends. We were field testing our lives — planning out a route and diving headfirst into bikepacking. We were taking a chance on something we believed in.

Was our hypothesis correct? Did we break the speed record and find fame and glory? Check out our scientific beatdown in the first film project from The Coyote Collective, “A Study of Self: Methods & Madness.”

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Trail Guide: Jason Fitzgibbon

Jason Fitzgibbon, who has delivered some exceptional content here at The Radavist over the years, MTB shredder and wildlife ecologist, makes a point to stop to smell the flowers.

Fitzgibbon monitors, tracks, and documents the vast and delicate landscapes of the southwest. He knows that the more aware people become of the needs of the landscape we share, inhabit, and recreate in, the better we are able to work to sustain and protect it.

Filmmaker and fellow SoCal resident Brian Vernor documents Fitzgibbon as he shreds through subalpine regions around Los Angeles, educating and elaborating on our impact to the regions where we live and ride. Made for The Pro’s Closet.

Squid Bikes Took their Gravtron Gravel Bikes from Reno to Sacramento

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Squid Bikes Took their Gravtron Gravel Bikes from Reno to Sacramento

Today we’ve got a special bit of Reportage from the crew at Squid Bikes showcasing their new handmade in Taiwan steel gravel model, the Gravtron. Read on below for a look at the owners’, Chris and Emily, personal Gravtron builds as well as a friend Nick’s bike loaded down for a trip from Reno to Sacramento with a trip report by Emily. Check it out below!

Vintage Bicycles: 1989 Otis Guy from the ‘Art of the Mountain Bike’ Braunstein-Quay Gallery Show

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Vintage Bicycles: 1989 Otis Guy from the ‘Art of the Mountain Bike’ Braunstein-Quay Gallery Show

For this edition of our Vintage Bicycles showcase, we present the unique 1989 Otis Guy mountain bike, built with Suntour, which was displayed at the Braunstein-Quay Gallery ‘Art of the Mountain Bike’ showcase. The current owner, who is loaning this bike to the Pro’s Closet sent over the story of how he acquired this unique ride, so read on below for Eric‘s words and yes, the chain is out of alignment in the photos. John blames that on the bright sun… ;) Check out the full spread below!

Chasing the Tundra: a Foray into California’s Lofty Frontier

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Chasing the Tundra: a Foray into California’s Lofty Frontier

There it was, carved into the side of the mountain like a serpentine scar, slithering its way up toward a sky riddled with barren peaks; their toothy prominences ripping through the leading edge of a building storm. A keen eye and a pointed finger could trace its path, lurching upward from where we stood at the western edge of the Great Basin Desert, zigzagging all the way up through Pinyon/Juniper woodland, wandering between stands of Ponderosa and getting steeper as the Foxtail pines got shorter. Miles away it could still just barely be seen, emerging atop an alpine ridgeline some four thousand feet above.

GRAVEL IS DEAD: Dain Zaffke’s Evil Chamois Hagar

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GRAVEL IS DEAD: Dain Zaffke’s Evil Chamois Hagar

Am I the only one here that cringes every time I hear the word gravel? It’s been a common word in my world for a few years now, and believe me, I hear the word a lot… but I just can’t embrace it. The word gravel still brings to mind all-day slogs across flat/windblown prairies on the type of surface that’s devoid of traction yet still slowly and steadily saps your spirit. In other words: somehow, somewhere it firmly lodged in my brain that “gravel” is the antithesis of “fun.”

Amanda’s Custom Flashpoint MVMNT Canyon Grizl Gravel Bike

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Amanda’s Custom Flashpoint MVMNT Canyon Grizl Gravel Bike

Drop bars have always had a special place in my heart. Don’t get me wrong, I love mountain bikes. That feeling of flying down swoopy singletrack and rowdy trails on a mountain bike is truly hard to beat. But there is one thing that can beat it… Flying down flowy singletrack and rowdy trails on a drop-bar bike. Now that can get exciting!