#touring

tag

Crust Bikes Scapebot Review: The Yes Man

Reportage

Crust Bikes Scapebot Review: The Yes Man

The Crust Bikes “Scapebot” is the third iteration of the original Scapegoat. The frame fits a wide variety of tire sizes and has a unique geometry that is both modern and harks back to the golden age of ATBs. True to form, Spencer has been using this bike as his touring rig for years and decided to put the most outlandish tire clearance claims to the test. Check out his long-term review of the Crust Scapebot below…

Radar

The Fastest Bikepackers in the Pyrenees

Safa Brian takes us along his Tour to The Tour series with a ripping, fully-loaded descent in the Pyrenees. Just because he and his crew are touring doesn’t mean they don’t get sendy on the descents.

1st descent is Col Col de Mente | 2nd descent is Col de Portet d’Aspet | 3rd descent is Cole de la Core 

Following Decade-old Tire Tracks: Kurt Refsnider Sets out on the Continental Divide Trail

Reportage

Following Decade-old Tire Tracks: Kurt Refsnider Sets out on the Continental Divide Trail

As you read this, the last remaining dots on the 2023 Tour Divide are probably still trickling towards its southern terminus. Meanwhile, Kurt Refsnider is gearing up for a parallel but far more ambitious adventure of his own. An adventure that only three other humans have ever completed on bicycles. The Continental Divide Trail, like the Tour Divide route, runs from Canada to Mexico and tracks along the Continental Divide. But unlike the Tour Divide, the CDT is almost entirely singletrack.

This article will be the first of many that Kurt will be sharing about his ponderous trek. He starts by outlining the route, telling us where the idea came from, and detailing the years of planning that got him ready to take the plunge. Stay tuned. We definitely will.

Sidi’s New MTB Turbo Shoes

Radar

Sidi’s New MTB Turbo Shoes

Sidi’s name needs no introduction but the brand’s latest shoes might be right up the alley of Radavist readers. The MTB Turbo shoes are designed for backcountry rides, touring, and bikepacking. The MTB Turbo utilizes a Tecno3 rotor closure, Sidi’s Outdoor sole which is made from a very dense rubber, providing plenty of traction while still able to shed mud.

See more at Sidi and order through your local dealer.

Folding & Furious: A 20″ Wheel-Powered Adventure

Reportage

Folding & Furious: A 20″ Wheel-Powered Adventure

Karla and I headed to Tijuana when we heard that the local government was giving the covid vaccine to anyone who wanted it. We used a Fabio’s chest as luggage bags because although we didn’t bring our bikes, we had the idea of borrowing some to move around the city and try to fit in an overnighter, so we also brought our sleeping bags and bike touring tool kit. With the Baja Divide being so close the thought of jumping on it crossed our minds but we decided to settle for something that required fewer logistics and that could be started and finished from the place we were staying in.

Touring Not Tourist: Pittsburgh to DC Along the Great Allegheny Passage

Reportage

Touring Not Tourist: Pittsburgh to DC Along the Great Allegheny Passage

I’ve lost hours with a pen in hand staring at the empty page in a notebook. A cursor on a vacant screen blinking, daring me to try and recount our days from Pittsburgh to D.C. without a single mention of Covid. Alas, I couldn’t even make it two sentences without avoiding the dreaded C word, and rightfully so. Covid-19 and the pandemic we are currently in the grips of have dictated all aspects of our daily lives and certainly dictated this trip’s timing. Without Covid, the three of us would likely have been on the road in some capacity or other. Steph has been touring with bands big and small, managing their merchandise sales. Ed has been a touring musician for the better part of six years and was getting ready to embark on another tour just before the pandemic striking. As for myself, I would have oddly enough found myself in Washington, D.C., just the same, camera in hand, shooting the annual DCCX race.

‘Going for a Bike Ride’ Book Digital Preview

Reportage

‘Going for a Bike Ride’ Book Digital Preview

Last year in May 2019 Dan and I left Santa Monica, CA on a cold rainy day to start pedaling to New York. Dan had this goal of riding across the country a few years ago after we had done some shorter bike touring trips together. I didn’t want to do this ride at all when he initially brought it up.

Radar

Tuscany Touring

Colt Fetters and his partner toured from Bologna to Rome last June. Alternating between following the Italy Divide and the Tuscany Trail, they embraced the credit card style of touring and spent time experiencing the culture of this beautiful country… check out the first of five videos here! Simply play the playlist to watch them all.

Rene Herse Cycles and Lael Wilcox Announce the Fleecer Ridge 700x55mm Tire

Radar

Rene Herse Cycles and Lael Wilcox Announce the Fleecer Ridge 700x55mm Tire

Photos by Rugile Kaladyte

When Rene Herse Cycles decided to develop a tire specifically for bikepacking and ultra-endurance racing, they asked Lael Wilcox what she wants in a tire. Lael has raced many ultra-endurance events, including the Tour Divide and Silk Road Mountain Race. She provided Rene Herse Cycles with heaps of feedback and they’re now introducing the result of this collaboration, the Fleecer Ridge 29″ x 2.2″ (or 700C x 55 mm), named after Lael’s favorite climb on the Tour Divide.

The Fleecer Ridge is a true all-rounder. Large knobs with generous space in between provide superb traction on loose and soft surfaces, while the knobs are spaced to put more rubber on the road as the tire leans into corners during paved descents into town to resupply.

The Fleecer Ridge offers a choice of the four Rene Herse casings:
-Standard combines comfort and speed at an affordable price.
-Extralight is our most supple casing for ultimate speed.
-Endurance uses the same ultra-fine threads with extra protection against punctures and cuts.
-Endurance Plus is one of the toughest performance tires available today.

Available in mid-May 2020 from good bike shops and directly from Rene Herse Cycles.

Radar

Sky Islands Odyssey Film

Ralph Samson took off on the Sky Islands Odyssey with friends last January, documenting the trip for all of us to enjoy while we’re locked indoors. Thanks for sending this over, Ralph!

DZR S240 Clipless Touring Boots

Radar

DZR S240 Clipless Touring Boots

DZR, makers of casual clipless sneakers, just announced the S240 touring boots. These boots offer ankle support, added warmth, and a different look from the brand. The S240 come in mustard (pictured) and navy, retail for $149, and are in stock now at DZR Shoes.

Radar

Hungry? Ride Food: A Series

What is it that separates a Pro from a No? Is their genetic makeup a simple roll of the base pair dice? Or perhaps it’s a dogged commitment to training that sets them apart from the rest of us? Clearly the science is still out which but maybe Science isn’t looking in the right place. Could it be that is their dietary habits, specifically what they eat on a ride that cuts the wheat from the chaff, metaphorically speaking, we see you gluten-free fam. Filmmaker and a snack investigator Sim Smith has set out on a journey to expose these pro ride snack secrets. Why and how he gets these Toppest of Tier athletes to share their most coveted secrets we will likely never know but what’s important is that they do!  Take some time to digest this critical information and apply these lessons to your next bike picnic. Trust me you and your G.I. tract will not be disappointed.

More from Sam at Sam Wileys and on Instagram.

A Weekend Pedal Across the English Isle with Pannier

Reportage

A Weekend Pedal Across the English Isle with Pannier

A Weekend Pedal Across the English Isle with Pannier
Words by Mark Finster, photos by David Sear and Stef Amato

The folks at UK-based cycling adventure co. Pannier are doing great things. From before I ever started backpacking and touring, I’d had a romantic vision of touring around the English countryside – stopping into pubs when I needed food and rest, waving at sheep. The “usual stuff” had always prevented me from actually doing it – namely, the logistics of mapping a route and flying a bunch of gear across the pond. So it felt like divine intervention just a few weeks ago when I discovered the Route Beer Ramble – a 200km weekend group ride from London to Bristol, wrapping up with custom-brewed beers (and a brewery tour) at Cocksure Brewing Co.

I was told by Stef and Dave (Pannier head-honchos) that I’d only need to bring a helmet, pedals and cycling shoes – they’d essentially handle everything else. This removed my biggest obstacle – and as the sole international traveler, it made booking this trip last-minute infinitely do-able. Upon arrival, Stef had me fully setup with a beautiful Surly Straggler with fat gravel tires and Ortleib weatherproof bags. All the necessary camping gear (tent, pad and bag) would be ready and waiting for me upon arrival at our first checkpoint. This was really almost a bit too good to be true.

2019 Salsa Cutthroat Review: Much More Than a Tour Divide Rig

Reportage

2019 Salsa Cutthroat Review: Much More Than a Tour Divide Rig

Salsa Cutthroat, Much More Than a Tour Divide Rig
Words By Spencer Harding, bike photos by Spencer Harding, with action shots by Locke Hassett

While I was able to finagle this incredibly snazzy bike solely for the purpose of reviewing a framebag on it, I figured why not squeeze a bike review out of it as well? First things first, I’m not a huge fan of riding drop bars and as I mentioned before I’m no ultra-endurance racer, which is precisely what this bike is designed for. So, I may be a fish out of water in that regard, but I think there is still plenty of potential in this bike for us humans who enjoy riding less than 200 miles a day and more than 2 hours of sleep a night.  At face value, this bike is fast, when you point this thing down a dirt road and put some muscle into the pedals it fucking moves, it doesn’t much care for going slow.  When using a combination of the magtank 2000 and two stem caddy style bags, the bike actually couldn’t turn sharply at low speed, but this bike was designed to haul ass on the Tour Divide, not make low speed technical turns.  Lets delve into the specifications and all that jazz…