The Radavist

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

In nature, evolution is a process that takes hundreds of years, whereas the entire evolution of mountain biking fits within a lifetime. Or Hans Rey’s shed, as it happens!

An extraordinary race with a bizarre twist in the final stage gives GBDURO victory to the Around-the-World record holder in his first-ever race…

Despite a career of world-firsts in endurance cycling expeditions, Mark Beaumont, the current round-the-world record holder, had never competed in anything other than what amounts to very extreme solo time trials. This summer though, for the first time in his career, he entered a race. And not just any race, arguably the toughest endurance race in the UK, GBDURO. The drama was captured in a new Shimano video called MAIDEN RACE. Watch it above…

I’m not sure what got into me this year but I’ve been on the hunt for some vintage bikes. A few months back we looked at an Eddy Merckx Corsa Extra I built up with Dura-Ace 7400, an arguably pretty bike yet it’s nothing special per se. Now this project will be even cooler. It’s a 1984 Mountain Goat Whiskeytown racer I just picked up from Second Spin Cycles…

The Fairlight Cycles Strael 3.0 is quite the looker on its own but when you add in the all-new Di2 Dura-Ace R9200 12-speed group to the build kit, it elevates the Strael 3.0 even more. Yesterday, Shimano announced the new Ultegra and Dura-Ace groups, with all-new Di2 tech, crisper shifting, better braking, and more.

Fairlight Cycles sent over this build, laced out with these new Dura-Ace parts, so we decided to share the build photos with you. Check out all the details below and see more on the new Ultegra and Dura-Ace at Shimano.

All Bodies on Bikes, a film by Shimano just dropped this morning:

Kailey Kornhauser and Marley Blonsky are bike riders on a mission – a mission to change the perception of who rides bikes. All Bodies on Bikes, a Shimano Originals film, follows Kailey and Marley on a two-day bikepacking trip along the Corvallis to Coast Trail, a 65-mile route through the gorgeous Oregon Coast Range. The pair, who both self-identify as fat, bond over their love of bicycle adventure and their shared desire to build a more welcoming and diverse cycling community.

“Nobody was talking about size inclusion or what it’s like to be a fat person who rides bikes,” Marley explains. “We realized we could contribute to this and we could make a difference. We want people to feel empowered that they can ride a bike wherever they want to go.”

Enjoy!

Shimano is celebrating its centennial this year with a special website, commemorating 100 years of making fine componentry. Check out this short video first and then head over to 100 Works to see more!

Rolling in after the titanium frameset announcement is the new Cosmic Stallion GRX. Nothing on the frame has changed for this model year but it’s now available with a flashy new wet paint job and with Shimano’s GRX. The retail for the Cosmic Stallion GRX is $2799. See more at All-City and throw a leg over one at your local dealer…

Shimano takes a look at gravel riding in their latest video, the Path Less Paved.

Hot off the press, fresh out of the kitchen, or brand spanking new. However you want to put it, today’s new build is one mightily impressive gravel bike! Built for Girona-based creative director, Nik Howe, this Legor Cicli LWTUA is inspired by the very place Nik will be riding it in – and specced according to match. But don’t take our word for it; read on what Nik has to say below and check out more photos of this dream bike.

The Fugio 30 returns this year in the expansive Genesis lineup. Along with a blinged-out, 1980’s inspired fade, the Fugio 30 comes with a Shimano GRX kit and is built from a Reynolds 725 tubeset, with a full carbon fork.

For those unfamiliar with 725. It sits three rungs down the Reynolds ladder. This steel tubeset uses thinner walls thanks to its production technique of mandrel butting. It’s then heat-treated to increase strength. 725 is lighter than most production steel tubes and this just adds to its responsiveness.

Head to Genesis to see more on the Fugio 30.

Today Shimano kicked out a bunch of new dirt-related goodies, ranging from stems, handlebars, MTB dropper and yes, a gravel/XC dropper post. The Tharsis 3Five is a 100mm dropper post weighing in at 415 grams, with three post diameters (27.2, 30.9, 31.6mm), internal routing, and a 2-bolt clamp design with an MSRP of $330. Head to PRO to see more!

The Vault is Pivot’s flagship drop bar bike and for the forthcoming model year, the brand took a step back from flashy graphics and released two new colors, Firebrick Red and Deep Metallic Blue, while offering up a new bottom tier pricepoint GRX build.

Pivot still offers the Vault in 1x SRAM kits but the GRX 2x kit is $1,400 less in price than the next build (Force). Check out more on the Vault at Pivot.

Today is full of inspirational gravel videos! The latest from Shimano sheds light on Colombia, a country known for its coffee and amazing road riding but as this video showcases, the dirt ain’t bad either! Check out the video above and read the full feature at Shimano.

The Santa Rita Pricklypear, Opuntia santa-rita, is a brilliant magenta-colored cactus, specific to the Sky Islands of Southern Arizona. The Ruta Del Jefe gravel race traverses this magical mountain range and this unique opuntia are the inspiration for Shimano’s new RX800 gravel shoes in a “purple and green” colorway. Pulling inspiration from the natural world brings awareness to these delicate ecosystems and the Santa Rita Mountains are still under attack from mineral extraction companies. Find out more about the fight to save these mountains at Save the Scenic Santa Ritas and see more details of these beautiful shoes at Shimano.

Remember these? Well after watching NOS pairs fetch up to $900 on eBay, Shimano realized it might be time to re-issue the SD50 SPD sandals. So today, on the 25th anniversary of the SD50, Shimano has released a special edition model, SD-501A, in a unique colorway. Inspired by Shimano’s second-generation SPD sandals, the new SD-501A delivers a sleek, minimalistic design with a dark navy upper and special logo accents. These sandals are available now in sizes 38-48 for $130.

Head to Shimano to see more information and to your local dealer to see a pair in person.