The Radavist

Brage Vestavik’s journey to the forefront of freeriding began at home, making features from construction materials scattered around his backyard. As the years passed, he took his budding passion into the nearby forests, mimicking the many films he’d watched over the years. The results are now legendary, earning Vestavik worldwide MTB filmmaking fame for his daring creativity, relentless work ethic, precision talent, and a raw and powerful riding style that’s uniquely his own.

But even now, with a Red Bull contract and nearly 400,000 Instagram followers, his best days are spent back in those same woods, building, filming, and riding with friends. For Brage Vestavik, This is Home.

The PNW Components Range Bar is wildly popular due to its comfort and affordability. The brand just announced the all-new Gen 4 Range Bar, built with ergonomics and comfort at the forefront. For those looking for more stack height, PNW added a 50 mm riser bar to the mix, along with the 25 mm and 38 mm rise options. This 4th generation rendition of the Range Bar offers a 70mm stem clamp width and comes in 31.8⌀ or 35⌀ mm diameters.

See more at PNW Components.

In the face of record heat, one city’s mountain bikers go fully nocturnal. The summer of 2023 was the hottest on record for Phoenix, Arizona, with a daily average temperature of 97 degrees Fahrenheit for all of June, July and August and a total of 55 days with highs of at least 110 degrees.

In such conditions, getting out on the trails isn’t just uncomfortable; it can be downright deadly. Mountain bikers, however, tend to be a foolishly tenacious crowd. Faced with such searing conditions, many local riders have taken a cue from the wildlife and gone fully nocturnal to escape the heat.

“Down here, it’s the only time that’s safe and tolerable to ride,” says Arizona rider Kurt Refsnider. “You can only spend so much time by the pool, and not everyone has a pool.”

Velo Cosmos, a celebration of vintage cycling, returns to the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley, California this year on November 14th. This event’s long-term goal is to create gatherings where all kinds of cyclists – or future cyclists can meet in one place, get excited and learn about the culture and history of bicycles. You can see our recap from last year’s event in our Archives.

Trek just teased this steel (and carbon) full suspension “PipeDream” prototype on its Instagram, designed by Trek employee and industrial designer Kyle Neuser and built in-house by Trek’s prototype lab. Inspired no doubt by the work and growing popularity of steel full suspension bikes from the likes of REEB, Cotic, Starling, Chromag, and more, Kyle was lured to experiment with the natural damping of steel with the geometry of the Trek Top Fuel.

This steel frame uses a carbon swingarm from a Top Fuel and rocker link, exposed cable routing, and bolt-on aluminum shock mounts. The PipeDream is finished with a paint scheme inspired by Trek’s steel bikes from the ‘80s and ‘90s. If Trek were to pony up and make a production run of these bikes, would it ignite a race for more metal full-suspension bikes? Hey, Specialized, you won’t! Let’s see it!

Read what our staff thinks of steel full suspensions below in our Related Archives!

Ronnie breaks down what makes the new R-Werks EVOO 29er different from the Alumalith and the various setup options for these aluminum rim brake XC machines in his latest video…

Hinted in John’s review of the Viral Derive earlier this year, the all-new 2025 Viral Bikes Derive is based on 29er wheels only and has a bunch of other updates. Read them all here…

The original Switchgrade tilt-adjust saddle clamp from Canadian manufacturer, Aenomaly Constructs offered nose-up, nose-down, and nose-neutral settings. But when Travis first rode it, he found the angles a couple degrees too extreme for his terrain. So today, he’s excited to share his review of the new two-position Switchgrade Duo, along with some of his signature soapboxing on saddle settings.

Previewed in our Sea Otter coverage this year, the PNW Components Loam Stems have finally arrived. These 6061 aluminum stems come in 31.8⌀ and 35⌀ mm clamp diameters, 32 mm or 40 mm lengths, and four colors, pictured above. Best of all, these precision-milled and finished stems run for $99 and feature a lifetime warranty. Check out more at PNW Components.

310 miles, 25,000 feet of climbing, one ride, what could go wrong? Ryan Standish linked two iconic trails in one massive FKT attempt – the Kokopelli and White Rim. Why take on a journey like this? Ryan Standish found inspiration and motivation to embark on a journey like this for those who no longer can, especially his Dad because of his battles with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). His Dad’s journey with MS made Ryan realize that we have to make the most of the time we have. So ‘Why Wait?’

The motion of suspension pivots is not like the motion of a hub or bottom bracket or derailleur pulley. Pivots are not constantly spinning full circles, and they don’t need to have particularly light action. They need to survive rocking back and forth just a few degrees, thousands of times a ride. And ideally, they need to last long enough that you’re not pressing them out of your frame every season. That’s one reason some bike brands have opted for bushings instead of bearings in some pivot locations. There’s more surface area contact, and potentially lower maintenance. That’s exactly what the new Enduro MAX Solid Lube Black Oxide suspension bearings are designed to offer.

One of our favorite bikes from MADE was the Ron’s Bikes R-Werks 29er EVOO. Yes, it has rim brakes, and yes, it evokes feelings of the best resto-mods but with bigger wheels. Ronnie made a video walking through the project and here’s part one.

Check out John’s photos of it from the 2024 MADE Bike Show too!

With a frame that will clear a 3″ tire but a fork that will only clear a 2.8″, the Lauf Elja mountain bike chassis might be the wildest creation from the brand yet. Let’s take a closer look…

Inspired by the work of Tom Ritchey and the very first production mountain bikes in California, the Stayer Cycles stAyTB project is a collaborative effort with 2nd Life Bikes. The stAyTB project consists of a frame, fork, bullmoose bars, day rack, wheels, headbadge and other bits and bobs all beautifully and somewhat singularly fillet brazed and fashioned in Leytonstone, East London. Let’s check it out.