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…

Litespeed’s Unicoi softail has been around for a few years, but we recently came across it again and thought you, our readers, would be interested in seeing it. With 45mm of rear-end damping built-in, and the capability to run up to a 140mm fork, the Unicoi would be a great alternative to using a modern full suspension as a bikepacking or touring rig.

Wolf Tooth is rolling out a few more limited edition products you might be able to get in time for the Holidaze. Whether you gift these new limited edition Morse cages in Gold ($89.95) and Black ($84.95) or buy them for yourself, they’re in stock and shipping today from Wolf Tooth.

If you’re a gram-counting, wind tunnel report reading, silk sidewall casing conditioning, ultra-light gear cyclist, then you should really see what Silca just announced today. These new titanium printed cleats come with titanium hardware to cut the weight of your cleats in half while getting 4x the life expectancy. Say goodbye to brass cleats, that wear out fast, and say hello to the 21st century! Available in ATAC, SPD, and Crank Brothers, these ti cleat kits are $85 and would make a fun(ny?) holiday gift for the cyclist in your life. Head to Silca for more!

Today, we’re pleased to host the latest to roll from The Vanilla Workshop and Speedvagen, a titanium rim brake road bike dubbed the Autumn Road.

Speedvagen has always been about serious racing machines with beautiful hues and paint schemes that are rarely seen in the bike world. Tied together by great stories, hard rides, and good friends. From the gun, there was that dichotomy of a beautiful machine produced from grit and grime, with trusty old tools.

It’s ingrained in us and our roots and our employees’ roots. Sacha and Woody were bike messages during their formative years. Most of us spent the majority of our earlier years on either BMX bikes or Skateboards. These gritty beginnings influenced us from the start, up until this day.

Coming into our shop feels a bit like heading to a show, there’s a buzz, a vibe, energy. When it’s on, things just flow and it’s a damn party of getting shit done. Wanting to end the year on a strong note, we wanted to capture this energy and feeling and put it into one unit.  How do you touch on our beginnings, where our heads are now, and what’s inspiring our future?

What does that look like in bike form?

The Big Iron is Why Cycles’ flagship fat bike, built around 27.5×4.5” or 26×5” wheels and a titanium chassis. The newly-updated V2 sees some updates to a slightly more progressive geometry and a new UDH hanger to future-proof this bike even more. Named after the famous Marty Robbins song, the Big Iron was developed to take on everything from quick rips on the local groomed single track or an epic 1100 mile journey across Alaska. These new updates, along with a lifetime warranty really sweeten the Big Iron this winter! Head to Why Cycles for more.

Titanium hardtails offer the best riding experience out of any material, ATMO, and seeing more US companies offering them is always a good thing. Alchemy’s newest offering is its Argos, a 140mm travel hardtail. This frame is made from Alchemy’s own blend of titanium, feature a sculpted rear triangle, and come available as completes with packages from GX to AXS. Head to Alchemy to see more from this beaut!

Bikes change from when you first receive them. This is especially the case with custom bikes. John submitted this Northern Frameworks flat bar gravel bike when he first collected it from Angry Catfish and then sent a follow-up after he put some miles on it. Check out this unique custom rig below for this week’s Readers’ Rides…

If there is one thing this year has taught us, it is that we need to embrace the alternative now more than ever. With a parts shortage and global pandemic, this year has tossed all it had at us. Instead of going silent and resting on what we have built, we decided to push harder and be more creative than ever, launching a bike every single month, despite these challenges. This led us to full year of trying new parts, new finishes, and having more fun, which is what this is supposed to be all about right?…

This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from Andrew and his Binary Bicycles Chuparosa hardtail. Let’s check out photos and words from Andrew below…

No. 22 is looking for a finishing and fabrication specialist to join our small and growing team of framebuilders in our Johnstown, NY production facility. A great candidate will be passionate about craftsmanship at the highest level and will have previous bicycle manufacturing experience.

The role can be tailored to suit the right candidate, but at its core would involve masking, painting, anodizing, and other finishing-related tasks, as well as ancillary tasks such as packing, shipping, workstation cleaning, and inventory control. Opportunities in fabrication, machining, assembly, and other facets of the framebuilding process can be added to the role for the right candidate.

An ideal applicant will have demonstrated experience with crafting boutique or custom bicycles, outstanding attention to detail, and above all a pride in building bikes to the highest possible standards. The following skills will be helpful in the role:

-Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work with a collaborative team
-Strong attention to detail
-Previous experience with the manufacturing or finishing of bicycles and components, including masking, bead blasting, polishing, anodizing or painting
-Experience with titanium framebuilding a definite asset
-Comfortable safely working with hand tools and light manufacturing equipment
-Interest in developing own skills and knowledge
-Familiarity with graphic design programs and particularly Adobe Illustrator is an asset
-Bicycle knowledge and mechanical experience is helpful but not required

Please send your resume and cover letter to info@22bicycles.com

If you’re a contestant in the popular #ToolBoxWars or follow @ToolBoxWars and love 3D printed tools, then look no further than Silca’s new line of 3D-printed titanium tools including chain whips, hammers, and lock ring tools. They’re not cheap but hey, they’re titanium. See the full line and details at Silca.