The Radavist

What is a gravel bike best used for? This video from Frog Hollow Bikes takes us on their local gravel ride with the OPEN.

Looking for a reason to head to the Green Mountain state this summer? Check out Ted King’s new event, Rooted Vermont. Check out the press release for the event below!

Overlanding is a dirty word, right there with “adventure” and “epic,” yet I can see how all three might apply in the latest Roads Less Traveled video.

You learn something new every day. I did not know what Rasputista is until this video. “Rasputitsa is a season when travel on unpaved roads becomes difficult, owing to muddy conditions, either from autumnal rains or spring thaw. It also refers to the condition of the roads, during those seasons.” What an ideal name for a dirt road race like the Rasputista Spring Classic.

… are you irreverent? Have I got an event for you!

Tim Johnson and Ted King, along with a whole lotta friends took to Route 100 to ride the length of Vermont, which comes in just over 200 miles. Who better to document the journey than Chris Milliman?

The IRR is in its third year and let me just say, out of all the organized dirt rides I missed this year, I’m most bummed about this one. Why? Just watch the video…

Communities start one pedal at a time…

I’ve had a blast visiting Vermont. My mornings were spent on the gravel country roads before spending almost all of my free time with family. I did however manage to sneak away for an hour or so to visit Huburt at Cycles d’Autremont for a Shop Visit and to shoot one of his bikes.

You never know what to expect when meeting a builder for the first time, on their turf but Huburt is so easy going that we got to shooting the shit (and photos) easily. I really admire his frames and his attention to detail, which he takes very seriously. I.e. he hand fabricates, carves, thins and finishes all his lugs.

More on Cycles d’Autremont later, once my film is developed!

Lauren and I are heading to NYC today. It’s been too long…

My childhood winters and summers were spent on the Canadian border in Vermont. To this day, a majority of my dad’s side of the family lives in the Green Mountains and their foothills (Vermont actually translates to green mountain in French).

After a 17 hour drive yesterday, my mom, Lauren and I arrived at my aunt’s house. She lives on the top a hill that as we were driving up it last night, all I could think about was bombing down it and consequently riding back up on my Geekhouse Mudville.

This morning, like an excited kid on Christmas, I kitted up and headed down to the main road before turning around and climbing back up. My plan was to do it four times, but neighboring hunting dogs kept me from more than two intervals.

These country roads are amazing. Most of which are closed during the winter months and are straight out of an “epic” ride video. Even though I’ve only got two days up here in the mountains, I’m planning on sneaking a ride in tomorrow morning before heading to Burlington on Friday for the JDRF ride with my mom and brother.

Remarkably, I’ve got wifi in the middle of nowhere, so I’ll do my best to update the site as events warrant.

As a side-note: I’m really digging the RX100!

There are few builders out there who have mastered the art of documenting their process. Need examples? Click on the Frame Builders tag… Cycles d’Autremont is one of those builders and while there isn’t a whole lot from this Burlington, Vermont craftsman on the site, I hope to swing by their shop when I’m in Burlington for the JDRF ride in July.

It doesn’t take much to sell a client on your product. A few photos of your work environment, some macro shots of your in-process lugs, or even a full-blown phototorial on why you prefer to make and modify your own lugs can do wonders for your client base.

If you flip through Cycles d’Autremont’s Flickr, you’ll find everything from a clean cross bike, to a rigid MTB fresh from paint, to a porteur to a dirty cross bike. With all this eye candy, it’s still hard for me to not fixate on their killer headbadge.

Hell, I don’t even think my shop visit photos would come close to Hubert’s own! We’ll see I suppose…

Finally! Burlington, Vermont’s Cycles d’Autremont has a website that is more than worthy of your visit. Hubert Horacio’s work is extremely classy and I’ve taken a liking to the Sportif daily rider. You’ll have to see more for yourself over at Cycles d’Autremont. The navigation takes a little getting used to but it’s worth a poke around. I’ll be in Vermont later this summer and will definitely be stopping by for a Shop Visit.