The Radavist

This is amazing…

“Cuba underwent a bicycle revolution in the 1990s during its five year ‘Special Period’. Oil was scarce as a result of tough economic constraints, and throughout those years of austerity, bicycles where introduced as an alternative mode of transport. Thousands of Cubans used bicycles on a regular basis, as pedalling became the norm on the island.

Years later, the transportation crisis subsided and motorised vehicles returned, and the country’s bicycle culture took a hit. Now, new bikes are difficult to come by and parts are not readily available, yet many Cubans still use bicycles daily and, despite the limited resources, a handful of mechanics provide a service to those who rely on their bikes in their everyday lives.

Plenty of cyclists roam the streets of Havana and the rest of Cuba. Ángel, a typical bike riding Habanero, provides a brief insight into Cuban bicycle culture and the importance of bike mechanics in the capital as we come across both riders and repairmen.”

I don’t know about where you live, but it’s rainy here in Austin and that means it’s the perfect day to watch videos. Like this one from Inside Line, showcasing Colnago.

Thanks for sharing this video Sam!

Man, it feels good to be home, back to work and checking out some new videos that I missed over the weekend. Here’s a short one on Horse Cycles!

The world of pop culture has fan clubs for everyone from Bieber to Katy Perry. Until now, professional cycling has been missing out… Filling the void: Manual for Speed’s Fan Club. Beginning with an interview of Ted King.

I kinda want posters or stickers of this….

This is a great watch. Jonathan at Bluegrass Bicycle Company looks like he’s living the dream.

Bespoked Bristol has a great interview up with Czech framebuilders Festka. This brand has been on my mind a lot lately. Their entire package is kicking serious ass. Everything is dialed: from razzle-inspired paint, to their studio photography and how sick is that Lizard rigid MTB?

See what makes Festka tick at Bespoked Bristol and remember, Cycleast in Austin is the US-importer for the brand.

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about Pelizzoli, but videos are a perfect segue into a builder’s world!

One day, I’d love to check out Rick Hunter’s shop and ride his pump track. As part of their Dream Bike series, Easton interviewed Rick about his work and that killer road bike he built for the charity.

Blackburn‘s got a great vignette up featuring some of their rangers, all with various cycling backgrounds.

Founder of the Albion, bad ass rider, photographer and generally all around good dude, George Marshall just interviewed “Super” Ted James over at Redbull’s UK site. Ted has started making BMX frames from Reynolds 853 and seems to be living the dream.

Head over to Redbull for the scoop!

“Grown ass men” having fun is right! Joe Simon’s a local here in Austin and I’ve shared many drinks with him. Talk about an inspirational individual!

Check out more about what it means to Grow Backwards with Joe Simon at Story and Heart.

Remember that Caletti Cycles road bike that Easton is raffling off? Well, here’s a look inside Caletti Cycles. I just want to add that I really love this Dream Bike giveaway. Kudos to Easton for supporting their local frame builders!

… and the photos are just as good as the video.

Alfred was one of the first bike messengers I saw in action in NYC that made me realize some people were born to ride a track bike. He’s fast and flows two steps ahead of traffic in any situation. Put him in the mix to race Monster Track and he’ll surprise you.

Check out Alfred’s cap at the Winged Store!

One of my favorite bike dudes to hang with (and photograph) was recently interviewed over at Optimus Fixed.

“OF: I remember you as a relaxed and interested person with a modest atitude. So do you have any special philosophy in live?

My philosophy in life at its most simple is to do what makes you happy. Take whatever opportunity you have to travel, and further yourself as a human. I’m lucky enough to be able to go all over the world, with people that I love, and get together on a level that pushes us all to our physical limits.”

Check the rest out here!

With the success of the Rapha Raeburn line earlier this year, my friends at the Rapha North America office reached out to me for a different kind of press. I was very impressed with what the first Raeburn line accomplished: high end, performance cycling wear, manufactured in the UK and developed by one of the UK’s most renown fashion designers, Christopher Raeburn.

Check out my interview with Christopher and his brother Graeme Raeburn for Rapha below!

Bespoked continues their builder profiles with Reynolds!