The Radavist

It’ always fun riding with the young bucks, high above Los Angeles.

This is the fifth layout of the Radavist 2017 Calendar, entitled “Sunrise in the San Gabriels” Shot with a Canon 1DX and a 24-70mm in Los Angeles, CA

Waking up extra early to catch the sun rising over the San Gabriel mountains is one of the best Los Angeles experiences you can have.

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

The mobile background this month is from the burn zone from the 2004 Station Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains. Click here to download May’s Mobile Wallpaper.

Tuesdays are almost as bad as Mondays, so anytime I get the chance to ride, I take it, as long as I’ve done my work for the day. Last week a few of us decided to ride the trails in Laguna, about an hour’s drive south of Los Angeles. Our plan was to leave mid-day, ride until sundown, eat dinner and head back once traffic had subsided. Yesterday, we met up at Golden Saddle, packed the cars with gear, our stomachs with food and drove to what has to be one of the best places for mountain biking in Southern California.

Thanks to everyone who came out to ride with Brooks, GSC, David Millar and Dave Zabriskie last night in Los Angeles. It’s always a pleasure spinning on our familiar roads with out of towners, especially ex-pro cyclists who just want to hang out, chat and soak in the scenery. Check out a few more below!

This weekend, there’s a lot going down for men and women at Golden Saddle Cyclery. Find out all the details below!

From spring cleaning to random guests stopping through town, this weekend ended, leaving me ready for the forthcoming week. Stay sunny, Los Angeles! Ok, not too sunny… Check out a few more photos below.

Here’s a few photos from this morning’s TGIFGSC Free Coffee Friday ride. Remember, if you’re in Los Angeles, these rides leave every Friday morning from Intelligentsia coffee on Sunset avenue at 7:30am sharp. Follow Golden Saddle on Instagram for which bike to bring, as they announce each Thursday.

I recently got Cari an All-City Mr. Pink. She really loves her Elephant Bikes NFE but wanted something zippier to ride around town and go on longer rides with not only me but her girlfriends who often organize ladies-only road rides. I knew if I left it to her to buy a new bike, she’d never do it, as someone who prefers to be frugal and spend her money on experiences, rather than possessions. Even though I see bicycles as vessels for said experiences.

Anyway, her Mr. Pink showed up to Golden Saddle, it got built up, I swapped out her saddle and gave her some special edition Yanco bags I had made from the California Sage pattern. We spun around town a few times before ramping up to a big, tough ride.

Yesterday we rode through the Hollywood Hills, up to Mulholland Drive and across the Santa Monica Mountains to Topanga, before dropping down to the coast for some food. After meeting a friend for lunch, we pedaled down to Santa Monica and took the Expo subway line back to Silver Lake. Our ride came in at 40 miles and 4,000′. It was the longest ride Cari’s ever been on, and surely offered some challenges for someone who’s used to riding a 27.5″ x 2.0″ tire on rocky dirt roads.

Now her biggest challenge is finding clothing that isn’t “overtly bike geeky.” One step at a time…

This is the third layout of the Radavist 2017 Calendar, entitled “Babylon Rider” Shot with a Leica M240 and a 35mm f2 Summicron lens in the Hollywood Hills, California

Some say the climb to the top in Hollywood is almost impossible. Cyclists beg to differ…

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

The mobile background this month features Zion National Park. Click here to download March’s Mobile Wallpaper.

Way, way up Highway 2 in some of the best road riding this area has to offer. Follow Sammi and Tristan on Instagram.

Every Friday, Golden Saddle Cyclery leads a group ride leaving from Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake that heads into the surrounding hills. Sometimes it’s dirty, sometimes it’s road but it always ends at Mission Workshop LA for Bicycle Coffee LA‘s Free Coffee Friday. If by the end of this jaunt, you’re not fully caffeinated, then you’d better check your pulse. For this most recent TGIF GSC ride, our group rolled into a hillside park called Cherry Canyon and rode a mix of fire road climbs and singletrack descents before heading back. If you’d like to join in on the fun. Meet up at Intelli for a 7am ride each Friday. The shop will announce the route and terrain Thursday on their Instagram.

Check out a few more sunny, blue-skied photos below!

We haven’t seen Smokey Bear this stoked in a while! When the fire danger is low, it’s a good thing, especially for the dirt. This morning I showed Connor around our local hobo trails on a quick jaunt. I’m always excited to show out of towners our local rides.

… this is all that matters. Riding whatever kind of bike you want, however you want. The end of this day in particular was beautiful!

I get a lot of emails, messages, and comments about shooting photos while riding bikes and over the next few weeks, I’ll be doing my best to address them using Instagram’s “Stories” format. Yesterday, I took to the Verdugo Mountains in LA County to share the process for shooting landscapes with a 90mm lens and a mirrorless camera. These stories are still live for another few hours on the Radavist Instagram, so check them out. Next up, I’ll be discussing the options for carrying a camera on the bike, which is part of a gallery I’m working on this week so tune in! Unfortunately, “stories” aren’t viewable on your desktop, so you’ll have to look on your mobile device.

Spring is on the way!

My buddy Tyler is moving to California from Austin, TX to work at Strava in San Francisco. On his drive to his new home, he swung through Los Angeles for two days. While yesterday was a grunt of a dirt ride, today we found our pain in the Hollywood Hills. I love taking people on rides in LA and I only wish we could round out his experience on mountain bikes! Next time, buddy!