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Zach Small’s Amigo Frameworks in Nashville, TN recently announced a preorder for the new uber-adaptable Bug Out gravel bike. Featuring the ability to run one speed or twelve, flat bars or drops, adjustable headtube angle, modifiable wheelbase, and room for up to 700 x 50c tires, the Bug Out is designed to handle pretty much anything thrown at it. Zach had one built-up and on display at this year’s Philly Bike Expo where we were able to take an up-close and detailed look.
Perhaps you’ve seen this bike from 2013? Well, it’s got an interesting story…
“Back in 2013 I was invited to show a bicycle at the Portland Art Museum. I was told there would be a collection of around 40 historic bicycles on display, and there would be space in the foyer for myself and other local builders to show off some of our work. At around this time, hand made bicycles were at the peak of their popularity, and I thought, Wow, this is likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I mean, how many people get to make something with their own hands and display it in a major museum?”
… and it’s for sale! Ahearne Cycles is asking $24,998 $19,950 for this beauty. If that’s a bit rich for you (it most likely is!) then check out this Page St. Tourer for $3850 and Classic Randonneur for sale ($6950) too!
Did you catch the Homer pre-sale at Rivendell yesterday? No? Don’t know who Rivendell is? C’mon! Check out this fun video sent to us from Eric Marth.
I love my Pelago Rasket on my Crust Bikes Dreamer but one of the things I’m not stoked about it is the limited bag offerings. After reaching out to a variety of bag makers, requesting a “custom” bag for my Rasket, the team at Wizard Works threw its wizard cap into the arena and offered to help me out. Well, after a few months, my Pelagazam bag designed specifically to the dimensions of the Raskett, showed up and I shot some initial photos of this nifty bag this morning, so let’s check it out in detail below!
Arya and Ronnie, the two cuties that are at the front of our bike bag sponsor Ron’s Bikes, invited my partner Karla and me to come over to their event, the Nutmeg Nor’Easter. Described as “the non-competitive alt cycling world championship” and running its fifth edition, this would be the first Nor’Easter after a time where reunions were discouraged, but the organizers still took care of delivering an event 100% outdoors and only for vaccinated people, although no vaccination cards were verified. Because you see, this is the type of gathering where you are trusted to care for yourself and those around you, but in a non-coercive way. For Karla and me this would be our first time not only in Connecticut, but also east of the Rocky Mountains; the first impressions, provided by our Uber trip from the airport at 1 am, made us think we were in a good scenario for which stories, and local tales revealed we weren’t wrong.
Bombtrack has an extensive catalog of dropbar and flat bar bikes ranging from classic touring bikes (pictured, the Arise Tour), gravel, road, hardtails, and rigid MTB tourers. As always, the brand is spot-on with its specs and colors, so if you’re wanting to check out some great bikes this morning, roll on over to Bombtrack to see the full 2022 catalog.
One of the things that caught my eye at this weekend’s NM Bikepacking Summit was Mike, the owner of Broken Spoke in Santa Fe’s custom-built O’Leary rack for his Karate Monkey. Mike really wanted a better way of carrying his essentials, rather than a bikepacking saddle pack. His goal for the rack was to have it be multi-purpose, both designed to carry traditional panniers or as a framework to strap Nalgene bottles to, while allowing for a bedroll or tent to be strapped to the rack’s platform. Depending on how you’re traveling, this opens up the use of a dropper post as well.
Mike went to O’Leary, a custom builder here in Santa Fe, to hash out the design and he whipped it up in a matter of hours. Minimal racks like this offer a simple solution to a very common problem and I thought the readership would be intrigued by this. Check out a few more photos below!
This week’s Readers’ Rides comes all the way from Singapore. Acit’s Stooge Scrambler is super dreamy and he’s done a great job documenting it, so let’s just right in!
Velo Orange’s Crazy Bars have a cult following ranging from commuters to tourers and everything in between. These bars give you the benefit of a riser bar’s riding position with the option for a more aero hand placement. Sure, they look… uhh… crazy but that’s their name, right? For this round, VO widened the bar to 780mm and the sweep has been reduced to a more comfortable 35º. The horns also got massaged by shortening them to 110mm for an overall better riding experience. See more details and on-the-bike photos at Velo Orange.
If you’re looking for a dynamo light-powered commuter or light tourer, then check out the new Standert Bürgermeister*In. Standert really did everything they could to make this bike as versatile as possible. The frame can be built up as 1x, 2x, hub geared, singlespeed, or a Gates Belt Drive. It’ll clear 700x45c and 650x47c tires. The limited-edition (pictured here) features a painted to match one-piece bar/stem. If you’re not feeling this aqua color, there’s also a white and eggplant livery available. Check out all the details at Standert.
If you’re looking for a non-custom and more affordable version of John’s Sklar that we posted today, then check out the newly-released Kona Unit and Unit X. For 2022, these popular models return with the Unit ($1,399) offered as a singlespeed and the Unit X ($1,599) comes with Deore 12-speed. You can even buy a frameset for $699. See all the details at Kona and throw your leg over one at your local dealer.
When I first fell in love with bicycle touring, I used panniers, mounted on a front low-rider rack, on a mid-low trail bike. We used to ride from New York to Philly with similar kits in 2008 or so, actually using newly-released Revelate saddle packs in conjunction with traditional “touring” garb. In the following years, makers were starting to move towards more customized bicycle bags, leaning away from Berthoud, Ortlieb, and the mix of classic, timeless, and staple brands.
There are so many idiosyncratic ways to camp by bicycle and these days, I feel like the soul of bicycle touring, vis a vis Adventure Cycling’s Bikecentennial in the summer of ’76 and even the 1983 Pearl Pass tour (complete with MTBs equipped with racks and panniers), still exists and is cherished by many, myself included. Many brands have since picked up this torch to carry on similar vibes. Brands like Swift Industries, whose image feels as timeless as the Bikecentennial, began launching their first randonneuring and touring bags at the 2012 Philly Bike Expo where I had the pleasure to meet Jason and Martina.
Here in New Mexico, we’ve got a few bag makers, one of which is Buckhorn Bags that just released its own pannier design, in line with the tourers of yesteryear. Let’s wax poetic about some waxed canvas vibes below!
Otso’s latest bike model is named after a monstrous wolf in Norse Mythology (or perhaps you saw him in Thor Ragnorak?) and begs the question: drops or flat bars? When run with flat bars, an 80-90mm stem is recommended for ideal reach but with drops, you can run a shorter stem and wider bars. This new touring bike has mounts a go-go, a geometry tuned for touring, and is made from stainless steel. The tire clearance is plentiful, offering 29×2.6″ or 27.5×2.8″ tires, and thanks to the unique, proprietary sliding dropout design, Fenrir can be converted to singlespeed with ease. Check out the whole 411 on this beautiful stainless chassis or build up your next complete at Otso Cycles.
Look for our in-depth review shortly!
For me, riding a bike has always meant three things; experience, adventure, and escape. From childhood, it’s given me the opportunity to experience new, it’s given me the freedom to explore, to embark on adventures near and far, and it’s also given me a much-needed escape from my battles with mental health. Cycling has also introduced me to a community of amazing people and this for me is perhaps the greatest benefit of riding because they never fail to enrich the three reasons I love the bike.
If you’re a long-legged lad or lady, and can throw them over a 59cm steel chassis, then check out the newest from our compadres at Crust Bikes. The Malocchio is the latest 1″ threaded all-road from the brand, built from Columbus Spirit tubing, with PAUL Racer center pull brakes and 42.666mm Ultradynamico tires.
Specs:
-59cm Crust Malocchio (a good fit for about 5′ 11″ and up)
-700c Pacenti Brevet Wheelset
-42.?? Ultradynamico Cava Race Tires
-Nitto Noodle HT Bar
-Nitto NP-80 Stem
-Paul Racer Brakes Front and Rear
-Berthoud Aspin Saddle
-Sun XCD Exceed 167.5 Crankset (44/28t)
-MKS x Crust Gordito Pedals
-Rivendell Silver Bar End Shifters
-8 Speed Sram Cassette 11-32t
Can we all just have a moment of silence for this beauty?
This build is for sale today. See more at Crust Bikes.
Mosaic has added two new frameset models to their G-Series lineup of gravel and adventure bikes. The GT-1X and GT-2X are two new Mosaic framesets for riders seeking a big tire, off-road capable titanium adventure bike. Both GT-X frames are designed around a 29×2.25 tire, a gravel-specific or MTB drivetrain, and a geometry that incorporates a longer top tube and shorter stem, allowing the rider to set up their GT-X in a drop bar or flat bar configuration. The addition of optional frame bag and accessory mounts, as well as rack and fender mounts, make the GT-X capable of all-season, all-terrain exploration.
The GT-1X utilizes Mosaic’s top-of-the-line, double-butted titanium tubeset. Custom geometry and a rider-specific tubeset are included as “standard” options on GT-1X, making it a truly custom build. The GT-1X is offered in the rider’s choice of Mosaic Paint Layout or the Mosaic Factory Finish.
The GT-2X utilizes Mosaic’s simpler straight gauge titanium tubeset. The GT-2X is offered in 7 stock sizes from S-XXL, with custom geometry available as an upgrade. The GT-2X is finished in Mosaic’s standard raw finish, with available upgrade options to a Mosaic Paint Layout or the Mosaic Factory Finish.
Every GT-X adventure bike is built to order and finished in Mosaic’s Boulder, Colorado facility. Orders can be placed through a Mosaic dealer, and frames carry a 12 week lead time from the date that the details are confirmed, the order is signed off and put into the build queue.
See more at Mosaic.
It’s no secret that Pale Ale is Paul from Paul Component Engineering’s favorite beer, and this will be our 4th year collaborating on a custom bike for Sierra Nevada Brewery to show off at Sea Otter and give away to a lucky winner. This year we decided to raise the bar by building up TWO bikes, and using them to help out two of our favorite trail stewardship!
Wren Sports just announced the pre-order for their new Beefcake carbon adventure fork, designed for gravel bikes. The Beefcake has a 425mm axle to crown, with ample clearance for either a 27.5 x 3″ or 29 x 2.6″ tire. Its retail is $499.99 for the base fork or $549.98 for a 12mm thru-axle conversion kit. The pre-order is open now with an end of October delivery date.
Specs:
Material: Fully hand laid, aircraft grade carbon monocoque
Fits Wheels: 27.5 x 3.0, 29 x 2.6
Axle: 15 mm thru-axle standard. Optional 12 mm thru-axle kit available
Axle Material: 7075-T6 premium alloy
Hub: 100 mm
AC: 425 mm, plenty of room to clear mud and snow
Offset: 42 mm
Steer Tube: Tapered, 266 mm long
Post Mount: 160 mm standard, can run up to 203 mm rotor with adapter
Finish: Matte black with full color Beefcake logo on crown and gloss black Wren logos on each leg.
Weight: 770 grams
See more at Wren!
