The Radavist

For those of you who have been missing the Cub House, well, their new location is just about ready to be opened. The new locale is just a few blocks from their old spot but has wayyyyy more space and that means more goods. Be sure to catch the opening party on Friday, along with rides happening Saturday and Sunday, leaving from the Cub House and Golden Saddle. Saturday’s ride is co-supported by 100 Tacos and Floyd’s of Leadville, so expect tons of entertainment.

This is the ninth layout of the Radavist 2017 Calendar, entitled “Sunset Sprints” Shot with a Canon 1DXmkii and a 100-400mm lens in Silver Lake, Los Angeles.

“As the summer sizzles away and we’re greeted with the autumn #lightbro, down here in LA, it doesn’t look like the heat is giving up anytime soon…”

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right click and save link as – The Radavist 2017 Calendar – September. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)

The mobile background this month is from Point Reyes National Seashore Click here to download September’s Mobile Wallpaper.

This whole collection looks incredible! See more at SWRVE’s Kickstarter and be sure to back this killer deal.

After a successful pop-up in Venice, Rapha has opened a more permanent establishment, just blocks from the Pacific Ocean and a short pedal from the mountains and hills. Head over to Rapha to read more information on the new Los Angeles Clubhouse.

Our good friend Aimee talks about living and riding a bike in Los Angeles. Aimee is the best and as you’re reading this now, she’s riding up a mountain to view the eclipse with a group of girls. Keep killing it, Aimee!

Not since Rem Koolhaas have I heard a better explanation for what Los Angeles is. Nice one, Geoff!

Hey, LA! See ya there?

Mick from 100 Tacos‘ Eddy Merckx Pista has some lovely beausage. After the seat stay cap cracked, he had it repaired and rather than paint-matching the raw steel, he let it oxidize, giving this bike lots of character. While this isn’t a complete photoset, I think these photos capture this bike wonderfully. Killer ride, Mick!

As part of the Cub House’s closing weekend (don’t worry, they’ve got a new space in the works,) Sean from Team Dream and myself organized a night ride in Cherry Canyon. A pleasant mix of dirt roads and singletrack made for a fun-filled two hour ride and as the sun set over the mountains, we all turned on our riding lights to make it even more interesting. I’m not sure if this will be a regular happening, but we’re gonna try to make it at least a monthly occasion. Head on over to the Cub House today, at 11am for a closing weekend sale, with a party beginning at 6pm. Details are in the “Related” sidebar on the left.

Last night, we escaped from the heat of Los Angeles, to ride mountain bikes and camp up in Chilao, our go-to refuge, spending time exploring the various granite boulders for lines, both new and old. Cache wins the biggest balls award, for a steep and sketchy chute Kyle found while pushwacking through manzanita. It’s always the same, however, because nothing ever looks as steep as it is! Check out a few more shots below.

This weekend! Be sure to read on below for all the details from Team Dream…

When we opened the shop almost 20 months ago the goal was a pop-up that would last for maybe half a year at most. The Cub House has been open a whole lot longer than any of us ever thought it would and thanks to all of our great friends and customers for making the experience truly special but we finally got word from the powers that be and the time has come for us to go. This dumpy cat shack we call home is finally going to be demolished and we plan to go out with a bang! We have 3 days of fun planned for July 7-9 and we would love for you to come party with us for any/all the action. We hope to see lots of new and old friends! All the weekend meet up times below.

Endo Custom’s CNCPT Team is based in Los Angeles. Don’t worry, they race bikes too!

Perhaps you remember when my Geekhouse touring bike was stolen from my house in Silver Lake? Well, that happened, for those of you who missed that note. It sucked. I wept and I was very, very pissed off. Especially since we had video of the dude and the cops weren’t being any help. Granted, this is Los Angeles and real crimes happen every day. Then, a few people sent me a link to the app Offer Up where a seller had my bike. I went to the police station, showed them the app – which they had never seen before – and told them I wanted to go down there with a few people and get it back. They laughed. Rightfully so, but they were also assuming I had no “street sense” or something, I forget what they said exactly.

The thing that sucked though was when this popped up, I was getting ready for a flight to London, so I had little to no time to do this. I just wrote it off, not wanting to endanger myself or my friends over a bike. Then a miracle of stupidity happened. Kyle met Geoff McFetridge and Nicholas Haig-Arack for a ride on a Saturday, when the thief rode passed on my bike, prompting Kyle to chase him down, knock him off the bike and steal it back. All while the thief was yelling “I just bought this bike for $500.” A lie. The video footage we had as an identical, 100%, match to the dude riding my stolen bicycle.

A victory! But with a lot of luck. Unfortunately, the bike had a few dents in the TT, parts were missing and other things were wrong with it, so I called up Marty at Geekhouse, who said he’d be stoked to repair the frame and make a few key changes to it, which I believe he’s in the process of doing right now. Stories like this are so few and far between when it comes to bike theft and with the latest surge happening across the US, I thought I’d share some positivity to the mix… Thank you, Kyle, Geoff and Nick for being such rad dudes!

Slip / Scale

Having visited Los Angeles – quite frequently, I might add – for a decade before moving here in 2015, I’ve heard how awesome of a hike Mt. Baldy is. A few years back, we rode to the Ski Lifts at Baldy Village and it was one of the hardest things I had done at the time. Maybe it was the painful memory, or perhaps it was the distance the mountain is from my home but for whatever reason, I hadn’t really desired to hike the 10,000′ beast. Well, on Saturday morning, I woke up just before 4am with Cari and met a few of her friends at the trailhead to take on the hike.

We – along with an insane amount of people for that early on a Saturday – climbed 4,000′ vertical in 5 miles and as we began to descend to Baldy Notch, all my preconceptions of the mountain’s difficulty subsided. Perhaps it’s because as cyclists, we seek out elevation frequently, both on and off-road, often pushing or pulling a good amount of gear with us, so the notion of strapping on a hydration pack with some food and camera equipment seemed like an easier feat when compared to riding.

Whatever the reason, I had a great afternoon, soaking in an area of Los Angeles I’ve never experienced. Check out a few more photos below.

I’m not exactly sure why, but these days, I tend to shoot a lot of vertical photos while on rides, all the while, in the background of my mind, trying to pair up images as I shoot them. Today was no exception. Even with a relatively early start on our ride, the temperatures got up there, like dust leaving the trail behind one of our plus-sized tire hardtails. It was hot, loose, dusty, rocky and yet the colors were beautifully saturated with spring blooms and blue skies. Mountain biking in LA is my favorite way to start the day. Here’s our route.

… so if you’re in Los Angeles and want to try on a pair of some of the nicest sandals I’ve owned, make sure you roll through. Or, if you want to see your closest stop on the tour, head to Bedrock Sandals.

This time of year, we get the most beautiful ombré sunsets, which when combined with the classic Los Angeles silhouettes, make for a great photo opportunity.