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Back in 2016, at the end of the #dflthedivide trip, there was a great little 40th-anniversary party at FreeCycles in Missoula to celebrate Adventure Cycling turning 40. At this party, there was a real nifty bikepacking rig from a small company that was right at home in a nonprofit shop. The Advocate Cycles Hayduke. Now, Advocate has transformed into Esker Cycles, and though the road and touring frames are no more, Hayduke Lives! (on). These are my impressions of this nifty hardtail.
Shimano‘s Deore lineup has been a staple for mountain bikers since the sport’s inception and this year, the new and improved Deore line has something for everyone. This release is broken down into three main tiers, M6100 12-speed, M5100 11-speed, and M4100 10-speed. There’s a lot to go through here, so continue reading for more details.
The clean lines of a modern touring bike are hard to resist and for this week’s Readers’ Rides, we look at Jouko‘s Brick Lane Bikes Hitchhiker build. These frames are capable beauties, with a solid Columbus Cromor tubeset spec. Check out more details of this classy and timeless build below.
Unknown Country explores the motivation behind Jake Wells’ life and cycling career. Unknown Country was directed by Justin Balog and produced by Mixed Media Machine for Shimano.
Shimano takes a look at trail builders in this new video, the true heroes of the sport.
Perhaps you remember Stefan’s coverage of last year’s Paris – Brest – Paris? That moody 35mm photo gallery that captured the event in a way so uniquely really struck me as beautiful documentation of one of the most intense endurance races. Well, this is the bike that Stefan pedaled during the event and as many of you expressed an interest in seeing better photos, we figured we’d feature it here at the site. So read on below for all the interesting tidbits, with words by Stefan…
When I say Cervelo, chances are your mind doesn’t jump right to off-road bike like the Áspero and that’s why we wanted to review it…
Kona’s popular Libre DL all-road model has some changes in build spec for 2020. Most notably is the wheel package. The Libre DL now comes with 650b/27.5 wheels and a 2x Shimano GRX 800 drivetrain, giving this capable bike even more range. The Libre DL’s frame is made using Kona Race Light technology and is mated with an Easton carbon bar, Race Face carbon seatpost, Easton EA70 AX wheels and a Kona Verso Carbon touring fork. Retail for the complete build is set at $3999 with the frameset coming in at $1999.
-Frame Material: Kona Race Light Carbon
-Fork: Kona Verso Full Carbon Flat Mount Disc
-Wheels: Easton EA 70AX 650b
-Crankset: Shimano GRX 810
-Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 810 11spd
-Brakes: Shimano GRX 810 160mm front / 160mm rear rotor
-Seat Post: RaceFace Next Carbon
-Cockpit: Easton EC70AX bar/Easton EA90 Stem
-Front Tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Rear tire: WTB Venture TCS DUAL 650bx47c
-Saddle: WTB SL8 Pro
With five classes of Romax, Brodie’s do-it-all gravel bike model, ranging from the Comp for $2099, to the Carbon (pictured) for $3999, and many tiers of build kit and wheel options, Brodie’s offerings for these all-road bikes has something for everyone. The Romax has a steel, aluminum, and carbon frameset offerings, each with cargo bosses on the fork, clearance for plush and supple tires, and build kits ranging from 105 to GRX. There are just too many options to list, so head to Brodie to see the 2020 Romax for yourself.
Jamis’ Renegade received an update after being announced in 2016. With two new models, the C1 ($3,699) and C2 ($2,599), both competitively priced, the brand offers up two different carbon layup designs and the versatility of Shimano’s GRX component groups. This follows the trend we’re seeing this year with a lot of brands building their carbon gravel bikes with GRX.
While the C1 (in tan) has the better kit and layup (Omniad M30), the C2 (in grey) is over $1,000 cheaper and cuts cost with the more affordable layup (T700/FRP). Both frames have mounts for cargo and clearance for 40mm tires. See the full lineup at Jamis.
After Shimano licensed Chris King the design for Micro Spline earlier this year, the brand has ramped up production for these new drivers, with pre-orders beginning on January 15th for release on January 31st.
The King Micro Spline driveshell uses a new bearing and axle design making them their lightest ever ISO hubs. Micro Spline conversion kits will fit all ISO B Boost and ISO DH Superboost rear hubs. Available with either made-in-house stainless steel or ceramic bearings.
CONFIGURATIONS:
ISO B
148x12mm
24h, 28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings
ISO DH Superboost
157x12mm
28h, 32h
Stainless Steel or Ceramic bearings
Conversion Kits
Stainless Steel or Ceramic Bearings
148x12mm or 157x12mm
With clearance for a 26″ x 3″ tire and a bright, rambunctious color combination, this Beardman Bicycles was a real attention grabber at the Philly Bike Expo. The bright colors normally could distract from the details of a bike but it’s impossible to glance over some of the unique features. For example, it has a front and rear rack, with removable rails, in case you’ve gotta bring a big ol’ pizza pie back home.
The theme of this year’s Beardman was spooky, with a skeleton losing its hand to the King Cage Many Things cargo cage and a RIP grave marker on the front rack, precisely cut by Derek at Kannaly Metal Works. Beardman makes custom racks, which pair nicely with their segmented forks and precision welded frames.
Did we mention this beaut’s for sale? Holler at Beardman for the scoop! It’d look so good covered in your home dirt.
The Search XR is Norco’s flagship gravel bike and for 2020, the entire lineup got a facelift across all models with new ombré fade paint jobs and Shimano GRX build kits. The Search XR is available in a Reynolds steel frame, A6 aluminum, and carbon, offering a complete bike for just about any budget. Head to Norco to see the details.
In 2015, I was able to partake in the launch of the Cutthroat, Salsa’s Tour Divide Race Bike, a unique drop bar 29er and since then, I’ve had zero contact with it. That is until I unboxed the brand new 2020 Cutthroat, which is full of new updates and boy is it a long list. While I plan on reviewing this bike in more detail further down the road, I wanted to give you a look at the new model on its launch day. Read on below for a first look at the new Cutty.
3T continues to roll out pricing tier build kit options with their popular Exploro model. The latest news from the Italian manufacturers features options with Rival1, GRX, and the AXS Mullet kit, starting at $3599. Check out all the builds below.
The Old Growth Classic took place this past weekend – 500 riders took to a grueling 55-mile course through coastal redwoods and old-growth groves. At the end of the day over 8,000′ of elevation gain would be throbbing through the legs of every person that crossed the start and finish lines. I had planned on bringing my Sklar with me to ride and photograph the course, but Ibis reached out and asked if I’d like to ride their Hakka MX with Shimano’s GRX drivetrain and a new ENVE spec build. Here’s what I thought about the build kit on this bike, specifically GRX…
Salsa just announced their 2020 steel bike lineup including the Apex 1 Fargo (pictured here), GRX 600 Vaya, and Sora Marrakesh. From rugged bikepacking to all-road touring and bikepacking, these models are staples in the Salsa lineup, with their limitations being how long you can take off work for a tour. Head to the Salsa Blog to see more details.
Lyons, Colorado is home to Reeb Cycles, a framebuilder that makes mountain-ready bikes in the old Oscar Blues brewery barn. After watching this video by Pearl Izumi and Shimano, take a look at their models online. They look pretty rowdy! Just like a 60-series in the driveway at the barn!
