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The Radavist’s Top Ten Beautiful Bicycles of 2023

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The Radavist’s Top Ten Beautiful Bicycles of 2023

We’ve got over 17 years of Beautiful Bicycles in our archives and each year we like to look back at the previous twelve months of coverage and decipher what you, the audience, liked the most. To do this, we look at the page views for each and every Beautiful Bicycles gallery. Then we look at comments and internet chatter. Once we cull all this data, we’re left with a solid list of bikes. We love compiling this data as it helps us determine what bikes you like to see the most and thus, informs what bikes we document in the future.

Without further ado, let’s get to it!

The Bells of DOOM & Seth Wood’s Rodeo Labs Flaanimal Singlespeed

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The Bells of DOOM & Seth Wood’s Rodeo Labs Flaanimal Singlespeed

I knew nothing of the lore of gremlin bells when I signed on for Ozark Gravel DOOM, at the urging of a friend after a coveted spot opened in the sold-out 2023 event. The race had been on my radar for some time, though I was intimidated by its 390-mile, mostly dirt, route that starts and finishes at the iconic Oark General Store, in a small town by the same name, and traces the boundary of Arkansas’ Ozark St. Francis National Forest. Anything billed as a throwdown by one of the hardest riders around – route designer and event organizer, Andrew Onermaa – was sure to test my limits.

A Rusty Ridge Supply and Rodeo Labs Flaat Rod Singlespeed Gravel Bike

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A Rusty Ridge Supply and Rodeo Labs Flaat Rod Singlespeed Gravel Bike

There is often a delicate dance when multiple creative minds collaborate on a project. Let’s take a look at the world of music for an example. The combination of two or more tyrannical artists can often be lackluster if not outright disastrous. Think of all the countless “supergroups” that have fallen decidedly shy of expectations; out of respect for the bands and the fans, we can each conjure up our own lists. There are occasions, however, when minds meld in harmonious magic. There’s a push and pull where something is born amongst the friction that otherwise was improbable. Jay Farrar and Jeff Tweedy come to mind immediately; the brief brilliance of Uncle Tupelo a friendship rooted in creation with a dash of competition, each vying for center stage. Of course, that same recipe would result in the demise of the band. Even as both would achieve tremendous success in their following projects, it’s arguable if it was better music.

An FJ60 Inspired Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey 3.1

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An FJ60 Inspired Rodeo Labs Trail Donkey 3.1

Rodeo Labs makes some of the most versatile drop bar bikes in the biz and their customers run the gamut of cyclists. Anytime I see one of their Trail Donkey 3.0 models in the wild, they’re always unique. From the kooky to the clean, Rodeo Labs owners take pride in their build kits and yes, even custom paint. One of their recent customers matched his paint and decals to his beloved FJ60, something I personally can understand…

Rodeo Labs and Cerakote: A Match Made in Hero Dirt

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Rodeo Labs and Cerakote: A Match Made in Hero Dirt

It’s no secret that we love earth tone themes over here at the Radavist. Which is why we’ve taken a liking to Cerakote, the durable and thin coating – .5 mil thick! – that is baked on like a powder but at lower temperatures. John’s Sklar’s finish is Cerakote and we’re seeing more and more integration with frames but very few component applications. That’s why this Rodeo Labs project caught our eye. They went extra dirty with this one with the Elite Earth color on everything, including their Rodeo 2.0 rims. Check out more photos below!

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Montanus: The Wolf’s Lair

Our friends from Montanus sent over this wonderful project that I hope stokes some weekend plans for you and your riding buddies!

‘The Wolf’s Lair’ is a 400 km bikepacking route that winds through medieval castles, alpine scenery and ancient Italian villages in the Apennines mountains. The Montanus duo traced that route in 2016, after they felt the need to explore deeper Abruzzo region to learn more about their culture and origins. Giorgio and Francesco are back on The Wolf’s Lair to film the experience and show the hidden beauty that fascinated them three years before.

Rodeo Labs Announces Their Trail Donkey 3.0

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Rodeo Labs Announces Their Trail Donkey 3.0

To coincide with their new Spork, Rode Labs has just announced their Trail Donkey 3.0 frameset. These bikes are literal quiver killers, clearing a 2.25″ x 27.5″ tire on rims with a 24.5mm ID or on 700c rims it’ll clear a 2″ tire with a 24mm ID. Combined with internal dropper routing, flat mount disc brakes, provisions for extra cargo cages and what have you, this bike is a Swiss Army Knife, perfect for bikepacking, dirt road riding and everything in between. Rodeo Labs did a great job going over the new Trail Donkey on their blog, so head over to check it out.

Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Alchemy Custom All-Road

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Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Alchemy Custom All-Road

Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Alchemy Custom All-Road
Photos by Me Fitzgerald words by Stephen Fitzgerald

When you work for a custom builder like Alchemy it must be quite a thing to stare at a blank sheet of paper and decide what sort of bike you want to create for yourself. I guess that’s why Drew went custom-custom with this bike. This Alchemy gravel bike most closely resembles the company’s ‘Chiron’ model, but there is nothing stock about it. Geometry, tubing, cable management, and even paint design were all worked over and personalized.

Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Traildonkey Singlespeed

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Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Traildonkey Singlespeed

Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Traildonkey Singlespeed
Words by Stephen Fitzgerald and photos by Sheldon Thompson

The next build in this series is my bike. What I like about this bike’s story is that this early prototype Traildonkey frame was decommissioned for the better part of three years before being brought back to life this year with a fresh coat of art store spray paint fade and a 1x drivetrain. This bike’s only purpose was “let’s build something fun to commute and play on”. Almost everything on this bike was in the parts bin before our lead mechanic Sheldon built it all up into what it is now.

I’ve never had a single speed bike before. I’ve always been too scared to ditch my gears. Now that I’ve finally tried it I have to say that single speed is giving me a fresh look at the sport that I haven’t had in a long long time. Everything about the bike feels so simple. Push the cranks, go forwards. If the gradient kicks upward just push harder. I need that kind of simplicity right now. I need to be able to look at old commuter routes or old trails and find novelty in them. If you’ve got an old unused frame hanging around in the garage I highly recommend grabbing a few rattle cans, flat bar singlespeeding it, and letting it rip.

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Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Pachyderm Singlespeed Krusher 2.0

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Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Pachyderm Singlespeed Krusher 2.0

Rodeo Labs Spork 2.0 Builder Series: Pachyderm Singlespeed
Words by Stephen Fitzgerald and photos by Daniel Schaumann

The original Rodeo Labs Spork 1.0 was a fork that we started developing for our bikes in 2014. At the time nobody was making a fork that mixed carbon, clearance, flat mounts, rack mounts, and through axles in the way that we wanted. Not knowing any better we just decided to create it for ourselves.

Land Run 100 Rides: Rob’s Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 4.0

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Land Run 100 Rides: Rob’s Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 4.0

The Rodeo Labs Flaanimal 4.0 is what the people want in an all-road bike. The people who want provisions and braze-ons for racks, even on their carbon fork. Ample tire clearance, belt-drive compatibility, and sliders, with a geometry tuned for the long haul, without riding like a tourer. It’s easy to see why these bikes are so appealing to dirt road racing contingency, with all those aforementioned details, and it’s why Rob chose one to race at this year’s Land Run 100.

Last year, Rob finished Dirty Kanza as DFL, with literal seconds left on the clock and this year, he looked towards Land Run as prep for the DK. From Fort Worth, Texas, driving to Stillwater, Oklahoma for the event was the perfect weekend escape and a worthy shakedown ride for his Flaanimal 4.0.

I like his use of the Redshift stem, Sinewave Beacon, Wolf Tooth B-Rad double bottle cage system and the Panaracer Gravel King tires. Yep. That’s one capable rig, ready to roll Rob over the finish line, with plenty of time to spare.

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