The Radavist

2017 Philly Bike Expo: Weaver Cycle Works Jersey Devil Gravel Bike
Words and photos by Jarrod Bunk

Hailing from South of Jersey, Weaver Cycle Works, made their way out to PBE with this Jersey Devil themed bike.  The Jersey Devil is a mythical creature that can take down livestock, much in the way that this 47c equipped bike can tackle the varying terrain that it was designed around. The Jen Green head badge pulls the theme together along with the “13” which is for the cursed 13th Leed’s child (the Jersey Devil).

Built with a 1x drivetrain in mind this SRAM Force-equipped bike is propelled forward with a blend of White Industries R30 cranks, CLD hubs, and their new headset, and halted just as quickly by Paul Component Klampers.  This is Weaver’s personal bike, and I’ve been told he only rides steel forks, so even though it’s built with a 44mm headtube, there will not be carbon on it anytime soon for him.  Much like every Weaver this bike is 100% custom from the geo to the paint, if you’re into it, drop him a line and you to can rip a bike where the devil is in the details.

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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and Weaver Cycle Works on Instagram

2017 Philly Bike Expo: Walk the Floor and Meet the Builders
Photos by Brad Quartuccio, words by John Watson

Over the years, the Philly Bike Expo has grown to become the Northeast’s premiere bicycle gathering, bringing together frame builders and independent companies alike. This pairing makes for a weekend that not only draws in foot traffic from the streets of Philadelphia but cycling enthusiasts from all over the United States. Most importantly, the Philly Bike Expo is put on by the great Bilenky family, whose main motivation is to unite the scene in a fun, energetic environment and it shows.

Photographer Brad Quartuccio was hired this year to document the show, the bikes and the builders who make this event truly unique. Brad was kind enough to share this wonderful bounty of images, which I’m very excited to share here on the Radavist. After seeing these portraits on his Instagram, I hoped to be able to display them in high-res.

It’s been a while since I’ve attended the show, which falls during a particularly busy time of year for me but after seeing both Jarrod and Brad’s photos, makes me want to book my flight well in advance.

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Follow Brad on Instagram, and the Philly Bike Expo on Instagram

For those looking for a stock-sized, titanium, made in the USA frame, check out No 22’s latest offering: complete bikes in two weeks. Since 2014, No 22 have been building ti frames in their Johnstown, NY factory and now, you don’t have to wait months for one of these frames. No 22 is offering up frames where no detail has been spared, no corner has been cut, with the only difference being the 8-10 week waiting period has been shorted to two, and as a complete build.

These completes utilize a No. 22 full carbon fork and aluminum stem, both custom painted by Velocolour, No. 22 titanium seatpost, custom finished to match each frame, Complete Ultegra 8000 groupset with mechanical shifting, Reynolds carbon tubeless wheels and Schwalbe tubeless tires and a high five. I added in that last part. The models available are the Great Divide in raw finish for USD $5,999, Great Divide Disc in raw finish for USD $6,799, or the Drifter in raw finish for $6,799.

If you want your No 22 anodized, they do that in house. For paint, they go to Velocolour. Each of their bikes are available in a choice of raw or two different anodized finishes, with the fork, stem and their new titanium seatpost finished to match.

If you’ve got questions, send them to No 22 or drop them in the comments.

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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and No 22 on Instagram

2017 Philly Bike Expo: 44 Bikes Titanium Marauder SSMTB
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, words by John Watson

We saw earlier this week the announcement of 44 Bikes offering titanium as a new frame material for their catalog. This extends to their Marauder hardtail mountain bike frames. The Marauder can come in various configurations, including superboosted, plus, slack and rowdy builds such as this. To up the ante even more, Kris from 44 Bikes added some anodized bits from Wolf Tooth Components give the build some pop. Titanium is a great material for a mountain bike frame and this bike is sure to make its new owner very happy.

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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and 44 Bikes on Instagram

2017 Philly Bike Expo: People’s Choice Winner – Bishop Bikes Disc Road
Photos by Jarrod Bunk, words by John Watson

The work of Chris Bishop continues to evolve and impress. For this year’s Philly Bike Expo, Chris brought something a bit different. Having teased this frame on his Instagram account prior, from the paint booth of Bryan Myers at Fresh Frame, we knew we were going to see something loud from the Baltimore-based builder. With a Stainless XCR Columbus rear triangle, Paragon Dropouts, a distinguishable Columbus Max fork and Vari-Wal tubing, this modern disc bikes carries many of the classic profile Bishop Bikes has been known for over the years, but the Fresh Frame paint not only coats this bike, it envelops it. The paint compliments the details, such as the stay integration with the Paragon dropouts and the intricate masking on the seat stays.

This has to be Chris’ magnum opus and the attendees of the Philly Bike Expo agree, voting it to a People’s Choice win.

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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and Bishop Bikes on Instagram

If you had the opportunity to have Dario Pegoretti paint one of your bikes, would you? When Jaybe originally contacted David Kirk about making him a classic road bike, he inquired about just that. At the time, Dario wasn’t interested. Perhaps he was too busy or just didn’t want to. For whatever reason, it didn’t happen, so Jaybe got his bike painted and began riding it every day. We even documented it here on the site. Months later, Dario finally expressed an interest in painting the frame, leaving Jaybe in a bind. Should he send it to him? Or just keep it as-is? I mean, it’d be a tough call for sure, especially with the uncertainty of how Dario would paint the bike. What if Jaybe didn’t like the final product? After much back and forth, Jaybe sent the frame to Pegoretti and a few weeks later, it arrived at his door. The crazy thing is, while Dario had the frame, Jaybe didn’t hear a peep from him.

It was a complete surprise and one that was well worth it, in my opinion…

Lady Crushers On Crustaceans: Amanda’s Team Rock Lobster CX
Words by Amanda Schaper, bicycle photos by Kyle Kelley, other photos noted.

“Alright ladies, this is the highest percentage turnout for women at a cyclocross race that we’ve ever seen! You represent 23% of the racers out here, and next year we’re shooting for 50%. Enjoy your race, watch out for the sketchy descent, and sorry about all the bumps. First wave starts in 10…”

Drop bars make any mountain bike hot. Now whether it’s a heat that you feel in your heart or in your stomach depends on your point of view. For Mike at Golden Saddle Cyclery, he wanted to do something new to his rigid Moots Mooto X RSL after growing tired of it with flat bars, so he converted it to a dirt drop MTB. By using a Wolf Tooth Tanpan, Mike was able to run Shimano road shifters with the MTB derailleur and cassette. That nifty piece of tech, gives you Di2 road / mountain compatibility with standard, cable-actuated shifting.

Mike’s been riding it to work at GSC, where he’s a mechanic, via the various dirt trails and roads in LA. When you think about it, a bike like this makes a lot of sense when you can ride dirt from your front door, that may not merit suspension but would benefit from a chunkier tire. Personally, I think bikes like this look damn good and are damn fun to ride.

A Matte Sand Breadwinner G-Road at Grinduro
Photos by Kyle Kelley, words by John Watson

For Grinduro this year, many framebuilders brought their baddest rigs out to get coated in the infamous Quincy dust. In the mix was Breadwinner Cycles from Portland and in tow was this very special version of the Limited Edtion G-Road, painted in Matte Sand and built with an emphasis on made in the USA componentry. This includes a kit based around the 27.5″ wheel and tire platform, perfect for packin’ in plenty of rubber to absorb the rough and rocky terrain, while relying on Chris King for the BB, HS and hubs, White Industries G30 Cranks, Velocity Cliffhanger rims in 27.5″, Thomson stem and seatpost, Paul Klamper brakes, Silca Impero Frame Pump and last but not least, trusty King Cages. Top off this stellar build with an Igleheart fork with cargo cage mounts and you’ve got one trusty and capable shred sled.

Bikes that look this good need very little introduction and at this point, everything Breadwinner has been putting out over the past few years has been enticingly shreddy! If you’re interested in one, holler at Breadwinner!

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Follow Kyle on Instagram and Breadwinner Cycles on Instagram and look for more Grinduro coverage coming next week!