#MTB

tag

The Radavist 2023 Calendar: June

Radar

The Radavist 2023 Calendar: June

“Monsoon” is the sixth layout of the Radavist 2023 Calendar. It was shot with a Sony A9ii and a Sony 24-70 lens in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Photographed by John Watson.

“Monsoons came early this year, covering the skies with dramatic clouds…”

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2023 – June. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)

The mobile background this month is a vertical crop of the above photo. Click here to download April’s Mobile Wallpaper.

To Switch Infinity and Beyond: A 27.5″ Yeti SB135 with SRAM Transmission Review

Reportage

To Switch Infinity and Beyond: A 27.5″ Yeti SB135 with SRAM Transmission Review

Curiosity. It’s a great trait to have as a cycling journalist. An inquisitive nature is what first prompted me to throw a leg around subculture-spawned bikes, like steel full-suspension 29ers and titanium hardtails, years ago. Sometimes, you have to pedal something for an extended period to whet that appetite for the occasional oddity that arises. If you’re lucky, those experiences challenge your preconceptions, too.

Working in bike media, it’s pretty easy to get cynical about all the marketing hype and the constant push for model years by the bigger brands, particularly regarding ever-changing drivetrain technologies, incremental gains, and complex suspension designs. I still value riding a rigid 29er as much as riding a vintage 26″ wheeled steel chariot through compromising terrain: the almighty underbiking ride keeps you honest, allows for honing your skillset, and can be damn fun.

Yet, on the flip side, I am attracted to high-tech, modern carbon bikes in small doses. Hence the allure of this Yeti SB135.

Before testing out the SB135, it had been a while since I’d ridden a carbon full suspension as, in the intervening years, I’ve been enjoying sampling the steel offerings out there from smaller, bespoke builders. Yet, the appeal of the high-tech is palpable—lighter, faster, smoother-shifting sounds fun, right? Mix in Yeti’s 27.5″ platform for the SB135, and my curiosity was piqued. The last 27.5″ wheeled bike I reviewed was the Santa Cruz 5010 and the previous 27.5″ wheeled bike I’d ridden was the Transition Scout that was loaned to me for a Moab trip. It was on that very trip I realized that while I admired the 27.5″ wheel platform, it wasn’t necessarily for me nor for the terrain I enjoy riding.

Yet, the SB135 was just strange enough, foreign enough, new-and-techy enough to have me put my steel sled with cable-actuated shifting aside for a few weeks and spend some time riding Yeti Turq and SRAM T-Type shifting…

John’s Steve Potts Signature Illustrated by Høj Art

Radar

John’s Steve Potts Signature Illustrated by Høj Art

It’s no secret that Instagram is a wonderful place to find artists. We’ve collaborated with many over the years on various designs we’ve put on t-shirts, bottles, and more. Recently John connected with cycling illustrator Høj Art, who requested drawing his Steve Potts Signature, using his photos as a reference. Daniel Rebour’s work heavily inspires their style.

Last night Høj Art sent over the final illustrations and we’re elated to share these beautiful drawings with you, so let’s check out the full spread below!

DziłTa’ah Adventures is Open for Business and Advocating for Guided Bike Tours in Navajoland

Reportage

DziłTa’ah Adventures is Open for Business and Advocating for Guided Bike Tours in Navajoland

Founded in 2016 by Jon Yazzie and Nadine Johnson, DziłTa’ah Adventures runs bike and packraft tours from their home base in the town of Kayenta inside the Navajo Nation. While we’ve documented multiple experiences with the nascent outfitter – including Hunt’s Mesa, John’s Canyon, Yellow Dirt routes, and others – getting the business off the ground hasn’t been easy for John and Nadine. Last winter, Josh Weinberg reconnected with Jon, along with a group of photographers including Chris Burkard, Jeremy Bishop, and Murray Smith for an unforgettable tour along one of DziłTa’ah Adventures’ most popular routes to learn about what’s next for their guiding operation…

55 Zone Ahead: The Messy Story of Modern Mountain Bike Chainlines

Radar

55 Zone Ahead: The Messy Story of Modern Mountain Bike Chainlines

When a new standard arrives, there’s usually a backlash lasting months or even years. But the 55mm chainline got in under the radar. Though not a “standard” in the traditional sense, 55 does impact cranks, chainrings, cassettes, and frames. So, it counts. The goal is to offer more room for wider tires, sturdier frames, and bigger chainrings by bumping that (single) chainring outboard to sit 55mm from the bike’s center line. That’s 3mm further than the 52mm chainline most brands have been using since Boost 148 dropout spacing took hold. This issue may seem pretty inside-baseball, but when we learned SRAM Transmission was designed specifically around a 55mm chainline, Travis Engel figured it was a good time to take a closer look.

Punker Than You Are: The Canyon Spectral 125 Didn’t Have to Exist, So We Had to Review It

Reportage

Punker Than You Are: The Canyon Spectral 125 Didn’t Have to Exist, So We Had to Review It

Remember when gravity-focused short-travel 29ers were edgy? When a brand would give one to their most decorated downhiller, and it would break YouTube? Now, this subcategory has become a staple. Every brand has one. But not Canyon. They have three. And the black sheep among them is the Spectral 125. Find out why Travis Engel still doesn’t want to send his test bike back in this detailed review below…

Skidaway Special: Building and Racing a ‘54 Schwinn Klunker

Reportage

Skidaway Special: Building and Racing a ‘54 Schwinn Klunker

Taylor‘s journey to rediscovering a love for bicycles included building a modern klunker from a 1954 Schwinn Hornet frameset. After plenty of experimentation with parts and modifications, an unlikely entry into a local race would prove fortuitous for Taylor and his vintage rig. Continue reading below for a detailed rundown of Taylor’s build project, racing his klunker at local events, and more from Skidway Island!

The Radavist 2023 Calendar: May

Radar

The Radavist 2023 Calendar: May

“Front Range” is the fifth layout of the Radavist 2023 Calendar. It was shot with a Sony A9ii and a Sony 70-200 lens in Boulder, Colorado. Photographed by John Watson.

“The Rockies have seen their fair share of rain this winter and everything is lush and green. John and Hailey got out for an afternoon ride to soak it all in.”

For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2023 – May. Please, this photo is for personal use only!
(*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)

The mobile background this month is a vertical crop of the above photo. Click here to download April’s Mobile Wallpaper.

It Takes Two: John’s 1985 Steve Potts Signature

Reportage

It Takes Two: John’s 1985 Steve Potts Signature

Marin County was a bustling time for the early mountain bike scene from the late 70s and well into the 80s. Names like Tom Ritchey/Gary Fisher/Charlie Kelly at the MountainBikes store, and Joe Breeze, Charlie Cunningham, and Steve Potts psychically and physically shaping the future of the then-fledgling sport with their fire-road ripping designs, torches and tig welders.

We’ve reported on Cunningham and Potts’ involvement in Wilderness Trail Bikes (known widely as WTB) over the past few years along with Mark Slate. In 1983, Cunningham, Potts, and Mark Slate founded WTB, and the trio began developing components in Marin, leaning on both builder’s fondness for innovation and exquisitely unique craft. While Steve loved to shape tubes with brass fillets, focusing on the form regardless of weight, Charlie would tig aluminum and shave grams anywhere he could. The two made for a dynamic duo of constructeurs.

By the time 1985 rolled around, mountain bikes were a legitimate tour de force within the bike industry. Even though they gravitated towards completely different frame materials and processes, Cunningham and Potts were credited with crafting some of the most iconic bikes of the era and still found the time to collaborate and share ideas.

As with many of the influential characters and pivotal moments in the early days of the almighty mountain bike, collaboration was key, and sometimes, it took two talented individuals to make a single bike…

No More (Flat) Fears: Tannus Armour Inserts Review

Radar

No More (Flat) Fears: Tannus Armour Inserts Review

While I’m a big fan of converting older 26″ MTB wheels to tubeless, I have found that if you let the bikes sit for a month or two without riding, the bead will unseat and the tires will go flat. Here in the Southwest, that means that the sealant usually dries up by the time you’ve noticed. I still believe that a tubeless setup is crucial if you have a bike you ride a lot, but when you have a few vintage bikes in your fleet that don’t see as much regular rotation, that can become a lot to manage. Once the bead breaks and the sealant dries up, you must completely clean the rim and tire out to re-seat it. Not ideal! 

A few weeks ago, while inserting Tannus Armour Tubeless rim protectors into my 29er, I noticed the brand also makes Tannus Armour Inserts, designed to be run with inner tubes. These inserts are very similar to the tubeless inserts but don’t require the upkeep or regular mileage that tubeless systems demand, particularly with vintage rims.

Last week I posted my Yo Eddy! restoration and, after I shot those photos, I got a few flats from thorns. So, instead of resorting to my normal tubeless conversion, I decided to give these Armour Inserts a try.

Let’s check out what that entails below!

We Put a Light Bar on Moné Bike’s Light Bar So You Don’t Have To: A Review

Radar

We Put a Light Bar on Moné Bike’s Light Bar So You Don’t Have To: A Review

The enigmatic folks behind Moné Bikes invested “new Honda Civic” money into the fabrication of their carbon riser bar. It was a gamble, but the results are impressive. Spencer Harding has become addicted to upsweep angles and while steel risers may work in many cases, sometimes you need to shave some grams. Read on for some silly memes, useless light bar mods, and a hot take on the handlebar bend you didn’t know you needed.

Fork Yeah: John’s 1991 Team Fat Chance Yo Eddy!

Reportage

Fork Yeah: John’s 1991 Team Fat Chance Yo Eddy!

Before we jump in, let’s take a look back: This has been such a fun process to undertake over the course of the past nine months. For those who are just tuning in, I bought a frame from Martin, owner of Second Spin Cycles, last year after he had acquired a substantial Fat City Cycles collection. Among his lucky haul was this Yo Eddy! in the team lavender livery with rack mounts, a pump peg, and some frame damage.

While the bike was in Rick’s care at D&D for some repairs and a paint respray, I began collecting period-correct parts from various sources. After re-finishing some of them and getting the bike back, I just finished the build this week. Monday night was the maiden voyage of the new and improved Yo Eddy! and I took some glamour shots here in Santa Fe, so let’s check this beaut out below!

Restoring a Classic MTB Part 02: Tutorial – How to Remove Anodizing and Polish Bicycle Components the Easy Way

Radar

Restoring a Classic MTB Part 02: Tutorial – How to Remove Anodizing and Polish Bicycle Components the Easy Way

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be working on my Yo Eddy! restoration project I began last year. If you recall, I bought an early Yo Eddy! frame from my friend Martin at Second Spin Cycles and sent it off to Rick at D&D Cycles for a new paint job and a few minor repairs. Well, the frame is back in my hands, so it’s time to get crackin’ on this restoration project.

My vision for the build includes polishing a Syncros 29.4⌀ seatpost, as this build kit will have a mix of black and silver components. Most of these seat posts are pretty faded and scratched, so I thought polishing one up would be nice.

Back in 2009, I made a post on this website about polishing vintage seat posts. At the time, I was restoring various Merckx frames and had scored a few unique seat posts. But what if your seatpost, or other bike components, has a colored anodizing finish you’re just not into? Well, read on below for the full tutorial.