The Radavist

The Athletic in Portland has a brand new website, with extensive product photos, a revamped web shop and an online journal, featuring ride snacks and other observations. Head on over to check it out!

It’s great to see a company like All-City bring some production back to the good ol’ US of A. Introducing their Pursuit Special track rings:

“These beauties are cnc’d in the USA and utilize a proprietary tooth profile for smooth and quiet operation. The 49-52’s utilize a solid body design with reliefs in the back for weight savings, while the 46-48’s have full cutouts.

In sticking with the theme of our aluminum track bike, the Thunderdome, we named them after Mad Max’s car, the Pursuit Special.”

Head to your local All-City dealer to order.

In Skratch Labs’ pursuit of creating the healthiest, tastiest on and off the bike nutrition, they’ve developed a new treat for your jersey pocket. The Skratch Labs Fruit Drops come in either Raspberry or Orange flavor and are available as individual pouches or a pack of 10.

I can’t wait to try these out… Check out more at Skratch.

I’ve been riding Velocity rims on my touring bike for ages and have never had an issue with them. That said, these new Cliffhanger touring rims make me want to re-lace my wheels. 25mm internal width, tubeless ready and best of all (for me anyway), made in the USA…

Got a fat bike? Want a thru-axle hub with an XD driver? Like American-made METALLLLLLL? Holler at the folks at Paul Component for their new limited edition disc RHUB with 197 x 12mm spacing.

Products like this are so simple, yet offer a simple way to add a bit of made in the USA bling to your current setup. These brake shoes are domestically machined, and anodized in Portland, Oregon, come equipped with Kool-Stop Salmon pads and are in stock now at Gevenalle.

See more information below.

Search and State is pleased to announce the launching of their Women’s Line. This includes the S1A Riding Jersey and the S1J Riding Jacket. These two items were the flagship garments for men when the brand first launched and are now available in a women’s specific design and fitting.

Read on below or head to Search and State for more information. Also don’t miss the feature on Pretty Damned Fast!

When you’re on the road, you get brief vignettes into people’s or company’s day to day routine, without fully immersing yourself in their operations. Or at least that’s usually the case. Yesterday, however, my preconceptions were shifted and I came to the realization that you can indeed, peer into a company’s soul in the right environment.

What Paul Component is doing in Chico, California is rad. Hands down. We all knew that but yesterday, I got to hang around their shop for an afternoon, not minutes and then, here’s the best part: I got to ride bikes with a few of their teammates, including Paul Price, the owner.

There’s a story to come, but I just wanted to thank the team at Paul Comp for opening their shop doors to us.

People have a lot of misconceptions about the frame building process and even the builders themselves, which is why I value a good interview. Above Category conducted one such interview with Aaron Barchek of Mosaic Cycles on their blog and it’s worth the read.

If you’d like to meet Aaron yourself, he will be visiting Above Category in early May. There will be a group ride on the 9th of May at 8.15am. More information to follow on AC in ‘The Broomwagon’ and their Facebook.

Our friends at Huckberry have re-launched their annual Commuter Shop, featuring a lot of made in the USA products from brands like Mission Workshop, SWRVE and Spurcycle. Now’s your chance to scoop up some quality goods, at a reduced price. Yes, you have to sign up for their site, but it’s painless and besides, who doesn’t like getting a deal?

Head over to Huckberry to check out what’s in stock at the Commuter Shop.

… and other goods. You know the deal, head to Tracko to swoop now!

I’ve been using SRAM’s own direct mount ring for a few weeks now and love it. While I’m all for the slick black aesthetic of their native design, it’s hard to deny the appeal of stainless. Wolf Tooth Components just launched a super durable, SRAM-compatible, made in the USA direct mount chainring for your 1x system. Head over to Wolf Tooth Components for more information and availability.

Unfortunately, in the time this post was scheduled, all that remains are the 24t rings, so if you’re looking for that size, you’re in luck. If not, you’ll have to wait for a restock…

Strawfoot’s kit bags have been restocked. These bags are perfect for keeping muddy, poison oak-covered shoes separate from your clean clothes in your luggage or home. The kit bags are made in Santa Cruz from charcoal duck cotton canvas with a water-resistant finish for $88. They measure 13″ x 9″ x 4″ and in my experience will fit a pair of shoes, gloves, bibs, and a jersey.

Check out more information at Strawfoot.

No matter how crazy kit designs have become, we like things simple over here. Much like the Radavist’s t-shirts, the Discharged Kit is a black base with a “discharge-like” off-white graphic print. Black because it won’t slow grease, dirt or other stains and because, well, why would you wear anything else?

Clean and simple, these kits come with a pair of bibs, a jersey, two sets of arm warmers that can be mix and matched between “the Radavist”, “Rubber Side Up” (looks great upside down), the Algiz array and Raidō array.

Made by Endo Customs in Los Angeles and in stock now for $320. sold out.

Our friends at Cuppow just released these Pfelt jar coozies to accompany 16oz widemouth jars. Made in the USA, from recycled plastic bottles, Pfelt is a durable material that is a perfect insulator for a hot glass jar. Drink coffee, tea, or just protect your jar from damage. The Cuppow lids are a personal favorite and these coozies make the setup even better.

These new Pfelt Jar Coozies are in stock now or you can buy a starter kit at Cuppow!

Inspired 10% by Clerks and 90% by Odin’s animalistic warriors….

One of my favorite stories from Norse Mythology relates to nature’s impact on man. Scandanavian warriors would often wear the skin of a bear or a wolf before entering battle, resulting in the spirit of the animal possessing them in battle. As Odin’s personal army the Berserkir were known for ferocity as well as loyalty as they fought for the pack leader. In fact the Old Norse word berserkir, literally translates to “bear-shirt” and was soon called “going berserk.”

Venturing into the woods, be it during an expedition, or just an everyday ride, we too can find ourselves transformed. Every time we push ourselves on the bike, or subsequently find ourselves pushed off the bike, we grow – #RubberSideUp. This introspective experience not only shapes us as riders, but it continues to strengthen our relationship with nature. If anything deserves respect, it’s the woods.

This image of the Berserkir, or Úlfhéðnar, is further empowered by the Norse protection symbol, the Vegvísir, which is a direction sign that enables you to stay the course without being lost. Something extremely beneficial to cyclists.

Drawn by Kyler Mart and made in the US of A by Specialized. Two bottles sell for $27 shipped or $37 shipped Internationally. This is a PAIR of bottles.

Sorry sold out!

The other night at the Velo Cult party, I got to see a demo from a new company out of Washington state, BicycleStarz. Now, I have to give you a bit of a disclaimer: if you’re a wheel builder, brace yourself, because these tools will leave you frothing at the mouth like a bamboo starved panda…

Coincidentally, all of these tools are made by hand, using bamboo when possible and are filled with such elegant details that they dance that ever-present line of utilitarian art I always speak about.

Check out some in-depth photos below.