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With the release of our Radavist edition Mosaic bikes, both in the GT-2X and GT-2 45 models, our friends at Mosaic sent over a 58cm GT-2 45 mechanical bike for review. Adding to the compliance of the titanium frame, John looked to Cane Creek‘s popular eeSilk components…
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…
The Sweet Spot from Bozeman, MT-based Sklar Bikes is a steel hardtail mountain bike designed to be a venerable quiver-killer. Built around 150mm of front suspension, with clearance for up to 29 x 2.8 tires, its geometry embraces builder Adam Sklar’s mantra of “fast is fun, but fun is fun-er.” Sweet Spots were Adam’s first foray into offering a small batch frame design and sizing, which he hopes will make his bikes more accessible and faster to produce.
I picked up a Sweet Spot of my own earlier this spring after many years of searching for the perfect hardtail. Due to a few requests I had to make it even sweeter, it turned into a custom project that retained the established Sweet Spot geometry and material selection. Below, let’s take a closer look at my build in addition to a brief interview with Adam about these bikes and his design/build process!
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
In 2021, parts and bikes are hard to come by and that’s why fundraising and conservation projects like this are all the more relevant these days. A handful of bike companies, Cane Creek Cycling Components, Industry Nine, Thomson Bike Products, Continental Tires, fizik, and Crank Brothers, came together to put on a fundraiser for The Pisgah Conservancy. Read on below for how you can win the 2021 Pisgah Project Bike Raffle…
This morning Cane Creek announced its new, longer travel eeSilk+ suspension seat posts. Available in carbon or allow, these posts make great enhancements to gravel or mixed surface bikes by reducing the chatter transmitted from the surface to the rider and can be tuned to rider weight through a simple elastomer change. #5 elastomer comes pre-installed, other weight elastomers sold separately. They come in 27.2 and 31.6 mm options, fitting most gravel or mixed surface bikes and carry a max rider weight of 250lbs.
See all the details at Cane Creek.
Look, I know rim brakes aren’t exactly in vogue anymore but if you happen to have a rim brake road bike and are looking to upgrade your brakes, then the eeBrakes are a prime candidate. The latest limited edition eeBrakes were just announced today in El Tornado blue and black. These brakes are available in direct mount and standard mount, come with carbon and standard brake pads and are shipping in July. See all the details at Cane Creek.
Want to win a special edition HELM MKII Air 29 fork from Cane Creek and help out International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) in one fell swoop? Check out all the details below, straight from Cane Creek…
eeSilk aluminum left, eeSilk carbon right
Cane Creek just announced some updates to the eeSilk 20mm travel seat post. There is now a 27.2mm and 31.6mm diameter post in both aluminum ($199 375mm length) and carbon ($299 350mm length). These new eeSilk posts have an 8mm offset, come with new 300 series stainless steel axles, and have a 250lb rider weight limit.
Weight
-eeSilk – 27.2mm – 345g; 31.6mm- 350g
-eeSilk Carbon – 27.2mm – 295g; 31.6mm – 305g
Materials/construction
-eeSilk – Aluminum Shaft, 300 series stainless steel axles, stainless steel hardware
-eeSilk Carbon – Carbon shaft, 300 series stainless steel axles, titanium hardware
See more at Cane Creek.
I don’t know about you all but personally, I miss seeing off-the-wall crazy custom bikes at the various tradeshows. With the pandemic canceling the 2020 and most likely 2021 dates for various open houses and NAHBS, I’ve just accepted the fact that those balleur bicycle gallery shoots will have to wait. That said, when projects like this fall into my lap, I’m more than excited to take some extra time documenting them.
ENVE launched their Foundation Gravel wheels last week and in a perfect world, a press-camp was supposed to happen in Arizona to test out those wheels. ENVE planned on pinging various builders to fabricate the chassis for their full gravel lineup. One of those builders was Retrotec and Curtis went overboard for the event, building a handful of titanium frames alongside Oscar Camarena of Simple Bike Company. When the press camp wasn’t happening, Curtis decided he’d send this bike out for me to document. He needed photos for his website and I won’t say no to content like this…
As part of this year’s Small Batch special edition project, Cane Creek announced their “IPA” collection, inspired by the pale ales that the breweries around Asheville, NC makes in house. Cane Creek took their products and coated them in a deep, rich brown anodizing, including their Hellbender bottom brackets, headsets and Helm MKii. Head to Cane Creek to see more and your local dealer to order but you better act fast, these will sell out quickly!
Cyan and magenta are two of the three primary colors and every color can be made from a combination of those three hues. As such, they are very flashy when displayed on their own and that’s what Cane Creek is banking on with the latest rendition of the eeBrakes. Got a rim brake bike you want some added bling on? Look no further… see more at Cane Creek.
We may have a lot of coverage from the Western United States here at the Radavist, but North Carolina is my home state and I personally grew up mountain biking in the Pisgah. It was a lot different back then and all the improvements I’ve seen over the years keep pulling at my heartstrings to return and ride there, especially with projects like this!
Keep reading for information on the fourth consecutive year of the Pisgah Project raffle…
Modern mountain bikes have low bottom brackets. There are many reasons for the push for lower bottom brackets but like each technological or geometric advancement, there is always an effect. One of which is you’re very likely to smash your chainring on rocks with a low bottom bracket and while there is a multitude of bash guards out there, I’ve recently tried out the Wolf Tooth CAMO BashSpider and chainring. Read on below for a quick review of this system on my Starling Murmur with Cane Creek eeWings cranks…
Bikes are an extension of the rider in every sense of the word. Not only do the wheels and bars act as our contact points to the terra firma, but everything becomes more than the sum of its parts. Those parts bin grips or meticulously color-matched fasteners all create a piece of rolling poetry. Found art, master-planned, functional, beautiful.
Over the past few years, I’ve found myself only riding 150mm travel hardtails and full suspensions with slackened front ends and steep seat tubes. In my mind, why would you want anything else? Then I moved to Santa Fe, where we have even bigger backcountry loops, steep climbs, and long, rocky descents. Yet, we also have sweeping, undulating XC trails. Suddenly, all those 150mm bikes are a little too much for a lot of the trails here, most of which are in my neighborhood. Then Chumba came to the rescue, sending along their Sendero 130mm 29er hardtail for me to review and I fell in love with XC bikes once again.
Read on for how this beauty of a bike handles our chunder and Chamisa-lined trails here in Santa Fe…
The Cane Creek Helm fork is a personal favorite of mine but even good things need an upgrade. The Helm MKII was announced this morning, featuring a newly-designed damper with a new compression and mid-valve circuit for even better control. There’s also a new SKF oil seal head and 2.5 weight damper oil which reduces friction and provides a more supple ride-feel.
Even the air spring has seen a redesign with new air pistons which reduce friction, more air volume, and a threadless seal head for easier travel change. Helm MKII also has low-friction SKF wiper seals as a stock feature.
Helm MkII maintains its tokenless air volume adjustment design, independently adjustable positive and negative air chambers on the air spring and rider-adjustable travel which allows HELM MKII owners to change the travel of their fork at home with just a few common tools.
The 29er Helm MKII comes in gloss black and the 27.5 in matte black. There’s also this Hot Pink limited release, with only 50 units available.
