Contributor Nic Morales is back with a more in-depth look at State Bicycle Co.’s titanium offering. In this long-term review of the recently released Ti All-Road frame, he digs deep into the discourse around titanium as a real-world frame material, how it exists in the zeitgeist, and other philosophical pondering. Read on below for Nic’s Titanium All-Road long-term review!
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Velo Orange HQ Visit: “Homage to an Ideal”
Following his visit with Crust Bikes, Nic Morales‘s road trip across the southeast continues with a trip to Velo Orange in Baltimore, MD. Given his longstanding appreciation of the brand’s ethos and product offerings, it felt only right to finally put a face to the names and influences that had influenced so much of his cycling life.
Through an extensive tour of their headquarters and an interview with co-founder Igor Shteynbuk, Nic learned of the logistics and mindset taken up by those behind the “VO” adorning many of our builds… Check it out below!
Radar
Outer Shell Drawcord Handlebar Bag and Rolltop Saddle Bag Review
With a myriad of bike luggage options, picking the right bag for your needs can be quite a conundrum. Nic Morales dives into some offerings from Outer Shell that may just strike a happy balance by drawing from storied design, including the recently updated Drawcord Handlebar Bag and Rolltop Saddle Bag…
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Crust Bikes Shop Visit: The Cost of Living the F*cking Dream
Late this Spring, Nic Morales hit the road for an impromptu tour of the Southeast. Originally set on covering spring break in Nutmeg Country, uncertainties around weather-related cancellations diverted his path southward. Through that fortuitous turn of events came a shop visit with the fine folks at Crust Bikes HQ in Richmond, Virginia. Through his time with Garrett and Latané, he reflected on his own relationship with the outfit, what it means to be a bike brand, and much more.
Reportage
Velo Orange Rando Review: An Unencumbered Pursuit
With the re-release of their ‘Rando’ offering, Velo Orange takes a stab at the slim, albeit existing, market of all-road bikes while adding their own, classically inspired twist. Floridian Nic Morales looked at where this gold-flecked bike shines and what pavement-centric dreams a thin-tubed modern randonneur inspires.
Radar
Velo Orange Utility Bar and Rack Review
The Velo Orange Utility Bar and Utility Rack are companion products where the rack component mounts directly to either a flat or riser handlebar. In his review of the Utility combo, Nic Morales writes about the refreshingly simple nature of the design, and his impressions of the setup for bikepacking, commuting, and even on a mini-velo.
Radar
The Dust-Up: An Ode to Friction Shifting
After Nic Morales ditched indexed shifters for a friction system, he hasn’t looked back. Below, Nic breaks down the differences between index and friction and explains why he’s excited about bucking mainstream shifting trends towards a life of friction...
Radar
The Dust-Up: Will Unchained Bring About a Road Cycling Revival? Is That a Good Thing?
Like its predecessor, Drive to Survive, the new Netflix Unchained series seeks to humanize the World Tour’s automaton-seeming athletes that make up professional road cycling’s peloton. But as the exploding gravel scene in the U.S. faces “growing pains,” Nic Morales wonders if the effects of Unchained’s inevitable popularity will remain culturally abstract, or if they will serve to usher in an era of Road 2.0 on America’s gravel roads. Read on for Nic’s reaction to the series in this latest installment of The Dust-Up, our ongoing opinion column.