The Swoop is Starling Cycles‘ versatile single-pivot steel full-suspension bike designed for 27.5 wheels. With its adjustable shock mounts, the Swoop can be set in “Trail” mode with 130 mm of rear travel or “Enduro” with 160 mm. Partners Alex and Nikki each have Swoops in respective enduro and trail modes that they’ve been riding for some time now. Below, they share a review of both iterations of this adaptable built-in-UK platform from one of our favorite bike makers…
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Radar
Eddy Merckx Bikes Are Back… and Yes, in Steel!
We received news this morning that Eddy Merckx has re-launched the brand, including steel and titanium bikes amongst the flashy carbon fiber racing machines…
Radar
2024 Metal Gravel Bikes Under and Around $2000
Finding affordable bikes that cost under and around $2000 can be challenging, so we compiled a list with a twist… We’re big fans of metal over here. Metal gravel bikes can be superior to their carbon cousins in many ways, especially if you’re planning on strapping bags to them and taking them out on longer rides, overnighters, and tours.
We get requests all day long for more affordable bikes, and following up with our 2024 Under and Around $2000 Hardtails article, we present our Metal Gravel Bikes Under and Around $2000 post, so let’s get to it!
Reportage
A Familiar Feeling: A Review of the Sklar Bikes SuperSomething
Adam Sklar has been building custom bikes for close to a decade—and we’ve featured plenty of them on this site! But, in 2022 he decided to move production of a new model overseas to Taiwan. Dubbed the SuperSomething, this first production Sklar has road bike bones while still (subtly) paying homage to Adam’s mountain biking roots. Hailey Moore has been riding our signature Radavist edition SuperSomething all summer and, below, shares her review, along with insights into Adam’s design intent for this all-steel gravel bike.
Radar
Introducing Two New Road Bike Models from Quirk Cycles: Durmitor ULTRA and RAT PENAT
Our friends at London-based Quirk Cycles are best known for their custom steel gravel bikes with stunning finishes and, this week, they’ve announced two new exciting road bike models. Let’s take a closer look at the Durmitor ULTRA and RAT PENAT below…
Reportage
Can a Sub-$2k Wireless Shifting Bike be Any Good? State Bicycle Co. 4130 All-Road Rival XPLR eTap AXS Review
Founded in the college town of Tempe, AZ, State Bicycle Company started out selling affordable fixed-gear bikes and geared townies for college students and commuters. In their ten years of mostly direct-to-consumer bike business since, State has grown exponentially and now occupies a large warehouse/office in downtown Phoenix where they store and ship hundreds of bikes each month. While the brand still focuses on affordability and accessibility, its product offerings have expanded to include: lightweight road bikes, steel gravel bikes, coaster brake cruisers, electric bikes, apparel, and accessories. One bike in their lineup caught my attention a while back, the 4130 All-Road. Positioned as a versatile and well-equipped steel adventure bike, the 4130 fits 700c or 650b wheels with ample tire clearance, accepts drop or flat bars, boasts plenty of accessory mounts, and is designed around a comfortable geometry—for only $899!
In early 2022, State launched the 4130 All-Road with a SRAM Rival XPLR eTap AXS build kit for $1,999 and, if you were a prospective customer watching State’s website, you’d have noticed they sold out fast and have seen limited restocks. During that fleeting window of availability, I got my hands on one for this review and, over the past six months, have been logging long gravel rides, some singletrack shreds, and daily commutes. Continue reading for my thoughts on this capable machine…
Reportage
It’s a Lifestyle, Not a Career: The Legend of Rob Roberson
Rob Roberson is an enigma in the handmade bicycle world. Some would consider him “the greatest known unknown bike fabricator” of the American frame building movement. His career, which spans nearly 50 years, puts him among a very small pedigree of builders that have both mass-production experience and have also built custom bikes under their own name without giving up the ghost. Yet, with such a significant trajectory, Rob has remained largely unknown. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be featuring bikes made by Rob and the stories about them. Today, however, Zach Small and Josh Weinberg are honored to introduce you to Rob Roberson.
Reportage
Inside / Out at Neuhaus Metalworks and a Look at the Hummingbird Steel Hardtail 29er
For a two-man operation, Nick Neuhaus and Daniel Yang have their systems dialed. Or, maybe the manpower limitations of being a small team have been the motivating force behind the duo’s streamlined Marin-based, framebuilding operation, Neuhaus Metalworks. Hailey Moore and John Watson spent some time talking shop with Nick and Daniel on their innovative 3D printed components and how these parts lead to higher efficiency in their US-made frames. Read on for a closer look at Neuhaus’ exciting approach to making steel and titanium mountain bikes.
Radar
Announcing Forager Cycles’ New Jemmy Bar: For Vintage MTBs and Modern Bikepacking Bikes
Daniel Zaid and Karla Robles were able to get their hands on an early version of Forager Cycles‘ new Jemmy Bar ahead of the preorder for the handlebar that opens today. Daniel explains his journey from wide drops to wider flat bars and bringing a classic MTB into the modern world of 2023 with a quick bar swap. Continue reading for more about the Jemmy Bar!
Reportage
Eric’s Raw and Rusted 1985 Bridgestone MB-2 Wigsplitter
I found this Bridgestone MB-2 as a complete on Marketplace in December of 2021. It’s January of 2023 and I’ve just wrapped up the build. The time in between was spent having some frame modifications made, aging the frame, making custom head badges and acquiring various components. Once I had my parts, the build should have only taken about a day but stretched into a week as I inched along with minor changes. The final outcome, though, is better than I could have hoped!
Reportage
The Shed of Shred: A Workshop Visit with Starling Cycles
Midlife crises come in all shapes and sizes. For some, a bright red Mustang relieves the itch. For others, some Eat Pray Lovin’ on a beach in Bali is just the ticket. But for Joe McEwan, Founder of Starling Cycles, chucking in his job as a successful aerospace engineer to build steel mountain bikes in a garden shed was just what the doctor ordered.
In this shop visit, we dig into the brand’s origin story, go behind the scenes at their Bristol workshop and learn why their signature single-pivots and retro rear shocks prove that simplicity never goes out of fashion.
Reportage
Chris Corona’s MASH SF Rockbanger Hardtail MTB
Following the review of his MASH SF Steel All-Road from earlier this year, Chris Corona is back with yet another MASH bike review. This time, he’s built himself a steel “Rockbanger” 27.5 hardtail mountain bike and documents it in his stunning photographic style. Let’s check it out in detail below!
Reportage
Inside/Out at Oddity Cycles: Mastering the Dark Arts of Framebuilding
Looking at an Oddity Cycles-designed frame, handlebar, or fork, you might think that it was welded in a circus sideshow tent by a depraved, frazzle-haired, torch-wielding, radical. That these wildly bent steel and titanium tubes, contorted and bonded into freakishly beautiful forms, could only have originated in the darkest corners of a PT Barnum exhibition. And that’s exactly what Sean Burns, founder, designer, and fabricator wants you to think. So, on this eve of All Hallows, let’s pull back the curtain on this iconic framebuilder, and his assistant “Spooky,” along with a close look at a couple of Sean’s personal two-wheeled creations…
Radar
Readers’ Rides: Chris’ Kruch Custom Bicycles Steel Full Suspension
We’re huge fans of steel full suspension mountain bikes and it seems like framebuilders all over are embracing these simple, yet extremely capable bikes. Coming at us from Alberta, here’s Chris’ Kruch Custom Bicycles steel full suspension. Let’s check it out below.
Reportage
A Three-Season Review with the Fairlight Secan 2.5
Over the years I’ve been lucky enough to ride and review a lot of interesting bikes, from hand built one-offs to small batch customs and a whole lot of factory production models. In all that time I’ve only found a few bikes that I really didn’t want to let go of. The Fairlight Secan 2.5 is one of those few.
This bike is perhaps the most adaptable drop bar bike I’ve ridden. To help make that point, Fairlight sent me two dynamo wheelsets to use for the review, and I’ve spent three seasons riding the bike in various configurations. Under myself and my friend Andrew, who helps edit my rambling reviews, the Secan has completed four 200 km brevets, and has been my go-to distance bike for the review period.
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Chris Corona Reviews His MASH Steel All-Road
Classic road geometry has always had a nice visual appeal to me. The straight lines and minimalistic look are sleek and pure. When MASH launched their steel All Road frameset, I just had to try one.
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Longer, Higher, Calmer: Kyle’s Longterm Review of the Myth Zodiac Steel Full Suspension 29er
We were catching our breath after the short climb from Warner Lake up to the top of Hazzard County. Burro Pass was a riot–we yipped and hollered the entire way down. After a quick sip of our drinks and admiring the view, we got back on the pedals and began the broad, fast winding trail down the open scrub of this famous section of The Whole Enchilada. Popping and jibbing, sliding, and tucking, we were fully in ‘the flow’…until…THWACK! I slowed down and found a spot to pull off and investigate the source of the racket. My wheels were true, the tires firm, fork and shock yet sprung, when the problem revealed itself: I had impacted a loose chunk of sandstone that penetrated the downtube on my carbon frame…
Radar
Monē Bikes Hits the Road with the New El Pebblito Gravel Bike
We just featured the boundary-pushing Full Enjoy from MONē Bikes in Monday’s gallery of unique builds from this year’s Sedona Mountain Bike Festival. Then, not twenty-four hours later, Cjell announced that his new El Pebblito gravel framesets were available for sale.
Read on for more!