The Radavist

Here you go, the second installment of this year’s SVENNESS series from CX Hairs. Just in time to get you stoked on the weekend’s races!

You know what? I think Drew at Engin’s work is some of the finest in the world and when it comes to mountain frames, his titanium trail rockets are the things dreams are made of, so why wouldn’t he be able to make a sick cross bike, or all-road rig? Look at the body language and stance on that thing!

These bikes look the part and although I’ve never ridden one, I bet they rip just fine.

Check out more at Engin.

Lifestyle photos by Chris Blott

Shand calls the Stoater a “cross bike for people who don’t race cross” and here in the States, bikes like this get labeled “gravel grinders” or “adventure bikes”. I like to think of them as all-road bikes.

The Stoater can be run as a singlespeed, geared or Rohloff. Shand achieves versatility through using a PF30bb, so it can accept a Beer Components EBB and the Paragon Polydrop dropouts with interchangeable inserts. This, along with modular cable routing, drivetrain swaps are easy. Built from Reynolds 853 with Deda and Columbus stays, the Stoater can take what you can throw at it.

See more of the Stoater at Shand Cycles.

A reader sent me this just now, scoffing at it and all I could think when I saw it was “holy shit, that looks fun!” Call it a monster cross, or a dirt drop 29’r, bikepacking rig, or whatever… yes, beach racer. This bike looks like a marketing hit gone awry, turned legit trail ripper. Also, I love the bars. All it needs are some 2.5″ gumwall Ardents.

Has anyone seen one in person? See more at Koga.

Thanks for sharing, Sam!

Even though the Radavist is based in Austin, Texas, I’ve put in more than enough time riding in inclement weather in NYC. I wish, back then, that I had footwear like the 45NRTH offerings. Check out this video for some insight into their lineup.

Gaulzetti is a name that doesn’t pop up all that much here on the Radavist, but when it does, it’ll be burnt into the back of your mind for at least a month and that has nothing to do with the paint found on this disc cross. Holy. Hole. Shot.

See more at Gaulzetti.

Photo by Jim Hicks

I think it’s safe to say, everyone who races cross wants to be able to do this. It shaves seconds off any gap the racer in front of you might have and puts more time between you and the racers behind.

Bunnyhopping barriers isn’t easy by any means, especially when they’re set at USAC’s max height of 40cm and on an uphill, but at yesterday’s race, I put all my skills learned from riding trails on my cross bike, MTB shredding and yes, the old days of FGFS to the test and hopped them every lap of the 50 minute B race. Here’s another angle.

Now that I’ve got my rhythm, I’m feeling even more confident and can’t wait to apply this useful skill to future races…

Bokanev and friends made a short video inspired by fall and fog in the Seattle area…

If you’re in the UK, you should really check out this deal. Kinoko is having a frame blowout sale and one of them is a steal. For £925.0 you can get a Cross Classic frame. That’s frame, fork and matching King headset. The only catch is, it’s a 54cm. Head to Kinoko for more information.

Ohhhh boy. I can hardly wait for a whole season of these videos from CX Hairs. This week, we’re at the 2014 Superprestige Gieten…

Photos by Eric Baumann

Ya know, I was going to paraphrase Marty’s copy from his email to me, but he does such a good job describing his bike, I thought I’d just paste it in. This is by far, one of the best Mudvilles I’ve seen, and you know I love some rain camo on a cross bike!

“The frame paint was done by Rudi Jung. Rudi also came up with the design. When Rudi told me about the idea, I was really excited, as it’s been a few years since I’ve had a new bike. The theme is Rain Camo, mixed with the new 2014 Geekhouse Team Colors, fading from dark teal in the front to bright orange in the rear.

At the last second we got worried it looked a little bit like your fork from Death Spray. We reached out to Death Spray, and his response was “It ain’t no thing, I copied it from the Germans.”

Components on the bike feature Sram’s new CX-1 with Hydro brakes. Enve Rims/Fork, Thomson Stem/Bars Post, and King Headset/Hubs. Wheels we custom built by Luxe Wheelworks. And tires were provided by Challenge.”

See more below!

I like it when companies take a minute to profile some of their athletes, rather than putting out a pulse-racing video of them riding. Kudos to Kona for this one.

Ok. It’s Friday afternoon, you’re ready to roll. Here’s all the inspiration you need from All-City and Golden Saddle Cyclery.

Enjoy the weekend!

Photos by Jeff Curtes

Ok, technically they’re not the “gold” team, but the new Speedvagen cyclocross team is looking damn good, especially through Jeff’s lens. Check out more at the Speedbloggen!

I know a lot of you have expressed an interest in a sub $1,000 cross bike complete. If you asked me back in 2010 when the Fairdale Parser was first launched, I wouldn’t have even considered it as an option, but now, the 2015 Parser is exactly that: a singlespeed cross bike for under a grand.

Head over to Fairdale to read more and look for the 2015 Parser in your local Fairdale dealer, any day now.

Photos by Andy Bokanev

Is it the weekend yet? You’ve got a ways to go, but these photos from Bokanev’s visit to Gloucester should keep you pumped for this weekend’s cross race.