The Radavist

After a year off from racing, everyone is more stoked than ever to say #crossiscoming. Over at Speedvagen, they’re so excited that for the first time they are offering Ready Made Cyclocross Team Editions as Frame-sets only. This is in part due to the supply shortages plaguing the industry.

Cyclocross was the beginning of Speedvagen and cross bikes are still among their favorite bikes. Light and nimble, ready to get rowdy. Not over-built like most “gravel” bikes today. A pure cross bike is something magical. Sacha has always said if he had to pick a bike for the apocalypse it would be a single-speed cyclocross bike.

THE RMCXTED Frameset Specs:
-Two Super Sparkly Paint Schemes, New for 2021 Team Blue or our traditional Team White
-Stock sizing 50-58cm
-Enve CX Fork
-Enve Post Head
-Enve Stem
-PF30 or T47 shell (single speed or geared)
-Turn around time 5-6 mo
-Deposit $1000 (deducted from the total price)

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!

This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from Austin, Texas. Emilio’s Tomii Cycles Sunset Chaser gravel bike caught our eye on Instagram, so we reached out to Emilio to see if he’d be willing to share his thoughts about the bike. Read on below for more…

Our friends at Moots just announced they won a Colorado manufacturing award for the best consumer brand. For those interested in what’s going on with Moots, this might be right up your alley.

Our 40-year history of manufacturing played a part in receiving the award as a nod to our consistent pursuit to building the highest quality bikes we can. We don’t get too wrapped up in pursuing awards but it is an honor to be recognized by an association that is not bicycle industry based.

Rread the full story at the Moots blog!

Photo by Mike Curiak

We don’t want to spoil too much about this project, because Mike has documented it so thoroughly, but we’d thought y’all would get a kick out of this Meriwether after last week’s Slingshot gallery. Tukt rear end, 110mm travel fork, 29×2.8″ tires, and just the kind of kooky beauty we’re missing from all the bike trade shows. Check out the full spread at Mike’s Exposure page and see some process photos at the Meriwether Cycles Instagram…

Speedvagen just announced their 2021 Surprise Me paint job, dubbed “the Painter’s Proof”, inspired by printing registration marks. This might be the most intense Surprise Me to date, so to read all the details, drop on into the Speedvagen Blog…

Starling Cycles, the maker of the steel Murmur 29er full suspension, just announced a limited edition Murmur with a stainless steel front triangle, made by Ora in Taiwan. Only available in size Large or XLarge, these limited edition frames can be bought as a frameset (£2330.00) or as a complete build through Starling direct. These bikes offer a completely different ride quality from their carbon fiber counterparts and remain to this day one of my personal favorites on the market. Check out my initial review of the Murmur and my personal Murmur build in the Related articles below…

Remember our coverage from the ENVE Builder Round-Up in 2019? Well, after a year-long hiatus, it’s back!

ENVE’s Grodeo ride and Builder Round-Up weekend is set for June 25 & 26. It kicks off on Friday at ENVE HQ with the Builder Round-Up and Open House (a mini-NAHBS of sorts) with more than 30 of the most renowned custom builders displaying their latest works of art. Meet the builders with live music, food, drink, and the chance to test your skills on ENVE’s Ogden Trackline Gravel TT.

The Grodeo ride on Saturday takes inspiration from some of the ENVE crew’s favorite gravel events, and travels the dirt roads and trails that the G Series gravel products were developed on. The Wasatch Mountains that cast their shadow on the town of Ogden are not for the faint of heart; the route will cover 92 miles and 8,500 feet of climbing with Strava-times sections along the way. Less race, more adventure ride, share the day with friends new and old.

Although the Builder Round-Up is open to everyone, the Grodeo ride is limited to 200 riders. The full course will be announced in June. Registration opens May 1st at 8 AM MST and is expected to sell out. Details and sign-up info here: https://www.enve.com/grodeo/

This video is an introduction to Wild Card Bicycles, a framebuilder based in Alabama, the heart of the south.

The Speedvagen Readymade program returns for 2021 but due to the pandemic, it required some new requirements for this popular program. Right now, Speedvagen is taking deposits for the Drop Bar GTFO and the Disc-OG bikes. A deposit of $1,000 is required to get get the ball rolling and only 11 of each bike model are available. Check out all the information below and if you like what you see, place your deposit at Speedvagen.