The Radavist

Wow. We get a lot of emails from framebuilders, from all over the world, but rarely does something this interesting come across our inbox. Caminade is a French framebuilder and his latest project will melt your mind. The ChillEasy is a titanium full suspension mountain bike with a side-mounted rear shock, inspired by motos, which makes total sense since a lot of mountain bike technology has been adapted from motos over the years. Talk to Keith Bontrager about that one!

Check out more photos below and see the full spec sheet at Caminade.

I’m a huge fan of Time’s Speciale 12 pedals with their metal design, refined profile, and bear-trap like engagement but the pricing – at almost $350 – was out of range for a lot of people. Time has the answer, with their new Speciale 8 Enduro pedal. It has a smaller profile and isn’t as refined looking at the 12, but at $125, who can complain?

Specs:
Colors: Black, Blue, Orange
Body material: Aluminum
Spindle material: Hollow steel
Weight: 392g / pair
Dimensions: Length – 90mm, Width – 64mm, Thickness – 21mm
Price: $125 (€150)
Availability: Late February

See more at Time!

The Chilkoot Quest is a self-supported bikepacking event in France that takes place over a long weekend, high in the Alps. See more at Chilkoot Quest.

There are a few of us out in the world of cycling who have always ridden Time pedals. In a world seemingly dominated by Shimano clipless systems, there are still diehard fans of the French company. It’s been years since Time updated their pedal platform and believe me when I say it’s been long overdue. With recent models lasting mere months, instead of years like their predecessors, I was thinking about making the switch to Shimano. Then the Speciale was announced.

The author and journalist François Paoletti rode, 105 years later, the mythical stage of the Tour de France between Bayonne and Luchon. He presents himself as a “Suiveur” – a follower – who is looking to trace the thread of old stories.

The Time ATAC platform is my preferred pedal for mountain and ‘all-road’ riding, so when the company announced their Speciale pedal, my interest was piqued. Made in France, at Time’s factory in Nevers, these new pedals come in a few colors, are made from 6106-T6 aluminum, feature a wide platform, adjustable pins for optimal grip and a micro-adjustable clamping system, allowing riders to tune their engagement. I’m anxiously awaiting trying these out. See more information at Time and holler at your local dealer for ordering.

… and it looks like they’re having a blast. See more at @TeamDreamTeam.

After Ranger Camp, I had a few days before an engagement in Scotland, so Robin from Blackburn Design and I took a road trip, stopping in Bilbao for an evening and then in Southern France to visit our friend Greg. This afternoon, after catching up on emails, we took Greg’s e-fatbikes on a ride to the beach and up to this WWII bunker on the beach. I gotta admit, I never thought that sentence would come from my fingers on this website. Ha!

Cycling is quite the symphony. See more at Les Pédaleurs.

This just goes to show that you’re never too old to chase your dreams.

Here we are, one full year later. The MAVIC Trans-Provence was the buzziest enduro of 2014 and this year’s course looks to be delivering one hell of a fun time. Even on Day 01! Let’s all wish the Radavist contributer Tytanium some good luck!

“Climb” is a short video featuring a mostly gravel road on the col des Chevreres in the Vosges mountains, where le Tour came last year. It also happens to be the home of 2014 Tour 3rd place guy, Thibault Pinot…

Fall is my favorite riding season, particularly because of the apparel offerings and layering options. There’s nothing like climbing for hours, stripping layers to descend in the brisk, chilly air wearing a favorite jacket.

With each year’s season change come new offerings from brands, one of which I’ve been really enjoying is Café du Cycliste. They just launched their fall / winter 2014 lookbook and it’s looking great.

See the 2014 Fall / Winter Lookbook at Café du Cycliste and their entire line at their web shop.

Also, see a few more photos below.

Please note: the Trans Provence is over. You can hear Ty giggling – he’s the one in all black, the anti enduro fluoro, getting rad in the still above – with excitement on the trail and getting in his victory beer wheelie. Watching this unfold has me itchin’ to ride in France, how about you?