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Part of the fun in restoring vintage bikes is the process and sometimes that process feels more like a puzzle than a transaction. From finding the correct components, to frame finish repair, and even saving a frame from a metal scrap yard! Nick Martin, shares with us the wild story about how he came to own a truly rare frame, a Breezer Series III, by rescuing it from a scrapyard in Canada! Read on below for this wild tale!
Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…
For this morning’s Readers’ Rides, we’ve got Carl’s ’97 GT Avalanche, with its signature triple triangle, amidst some glowing gold aspen leaves. Read on below for more!
If you’re one of the people patiently waiting for a model René Herse tires to land in stock, today is your lucky day. This morning the Seattle-based tire manufacturer just received a shipment of their most popular rubber including the 650B x 55 Umtanum Ridge, 700C x 35 Bon Jon Pass, the 26″ x 2.3″ Rat Trap Pass, and more. Head on over to René Herse to see the full stock availability.
You know, sometimes a great bike is just a bike, and that’s enough. It could be your favorite bike of all the bikes you own or have owned. It could also just be the only bike you own. Either way, if you love it, then that’s enough for it to be good or even great. Derek loves this bike. For him, it’s a great bike, great enough to bring back from the dead and give it another life.
Fat bikes. They’re the cycling industry’s lost children. The forgotten ones. Remember when every brand under the sun had a fat bike in their catalog? Now there are only a few brands still putting in the PR&D required to make these bikes less cumbersome, less heavy, and more like a true-to-form mountain bike. One of those brands is Otso, whose Voytek is all of the above and more. I’ve held onto this bike for probably longer than they anticipated, cycling through the winter months, into the spring, and well into the summer. I’ve ridden it in its thicc 26″+ setup and now in its chonk 29+ form and have pulled together a comprehensive argument for why I hope that bikes like the Voytek will stay around for a while…
I grew up working at a Specialized shop, and learned how to mountain bike by watching Ned Overend’s Performance Mountain Biking technique VHS. While I always appreciated the refreshing ideas of small makers, I thought it advantageous for larger brands to be able to invest more in their materials and construction. This was a time when top-end bikes were made of metal, and made domestically.
Metal Matrix (M2) composite is a prime example of this. The big S sourced a 6061 alloy infused with an aluminum oxide ceramic particulate by Alcan. Say that again, backwards now. Alcan called it Duralcan, and I am proud to display their logo on my top tube—that cool typeface!
Available in red (26″ pictured) or grey (27.5″), the newest tire from Ultradynamico is ATB-inspired. Convert your 90s MTB into a modern, supple, planing machine.
Specs:
-Race compound for superior grip in all conditions.
-Luxurious high TPI mystery casing sourced from a Moroccan street bazaar which may vary in hue
-Tread rubber extended down sidewall for added protection without sacrificing the premium ride quality of our most flexible casing
-Continuous ramped center delta for a fast roll when propelled, and confident braking traction when modulated
-Side knobs won’t let you down, or let you fall down in loose, dry corners
-Wide knob spacing sheds mud and makes artistic patterns in the space dust
-Did you know the triangle is the strongest shape in this dimension?
-27.5 pairs as a front with our ROSé or CAVA 650b in the rear for a fast and fun slackened ATB rat-rover
-Tubeless compatible for a rover mimicking psi of 20-30psi
-Tires packaged and sold individually.
-Each set of commemorative 26″ MARS tires comes with a 13″ x 19″ poster from painter Bryan Buswell. Posters ship separately in a proper tube and will arrive a few days after your rubber.
-27.5″ x 2.2?? available in GREY compound only and 26″ x 2.2?? available in RED compound only.
-605g and 600g
In stock and shipping now from Ultradynamico.
Finally, a knobby 26″ tire from René Herse. The Humptulips tires are named after a ridge on the southern edge of the remote Olympic Mountains, home to a spectacular gravel loop. These tires are 2.3″ wide, come in three casings, in black or tanwall. Head to René Herse for more information.
Got an older 26″ MTB frame and want some tires that are a little sprier? Check out Rene Herse Cycles’ latest dual-purpose knobby tire, the Humptulips Ridge 26″ x 2.3″, named after a remote ridge in the Olympic Mountains that offers some of the best riding in the PNW. Like most Rene Herse tires, the Humptulips Ridge is available with three casings, so riders can choose performance and durability to suit their needs: supple Standard (560 g; $ 74), ultra-fast Extralight (530 g; $ 89), and extra-tough Endurance (560 g; $ 89).
Check out more at René Herse.
The almighty basket bike. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Doesn’t need flashy components. Just build it out for practical uses… like wallrides!
Earlier this year, Bailey got the idea to convert this older Rocky Mountain Hammer frame into a basket bike. His intent with the bike was to have a no-nonsense, do-it-all beater that he could lock up anywhere and not worry about it. Yet, because it’s Bailey, there was a twist to this bike’s use…
I thought we posted this back when it came out but I can’t find it. Leave it to the readership to re-share gold like this older Cotic Bikes video from their “new” line of 26″ hardtails back in 2013.
2018 Philly Bike Expo: Groovy Cycleworks 26″ Homage Rigid Tourer
Photos and words by Jarrod Bunk
In ’95 Rody of Groovy Cycleworks was commisioned to make a bike for this same customer, the customer loved the bike so much that 23 years later they commissioned this bike, a more modern version that’s still built around 26″ wheels but shod with a slightly updated geometry. A Groovy built bike wouldn’t be complete without their Hot Rod cranks with a 24mm spindle meticulously painted to match the 5-color fractured mosaic paint, that alludes to the customers love of architecture and stained glass. The fork is an homage to the old Grove Innovations Hardcore with a scalloped end and box crown, while the Luv Handlebars give the rider an updated posture that they hadn’t had prior.
This homage wouldn’t be complete without a more current 1x drivetrain, White Industries hubs and headset, as well as the limited gold, anodized Paul Components that can be found all over this bike and are proof that someone still believes in death before discs.
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Follow Jarrod on Instagram, and Groovy Cycle Works on Instagram
Austin has a certain gravity. It attracts cyclists of all-wheel types and for Matt, he wasn’t drawn here for the road cycling or mountain biking. Matt began his experience with the bicycle on a BMX. He’s from Australia and Austin has always been the mecca for BMXing in the US. His friends here range from pros to companies like T-1, where he stays while in town.
