The Radavist

Eric Baar is a man of many talents. He can wield both welder and a paint brush to many forms of materials. At NAHBS this year, he brought his 2016 creation: the Steel Aluminum and Titanium track bike. You should be able to guess which part of the bike is which, but I’ll give you the information anyway. Eric made the rear triangle of this track from machined titanium, down to the track ends. This is then bolted to the aluminum front triangle, using cleverly located and designed hardware. From there, he left it up to a bladed steel track fork to complete the tryptic of materials.

The final touch was a series of one-touch paint experimentations, all of which Eric lays down by hand. Follow Ground Up’s work at their Facebook.

Behind the Scenes at the UCI Track Cycling World Cup Los Angeles
Photos by Eugene Kim, words by John Watson

Track cycling’s draw is massive in Europe, so you never know what you’re going to get when a UCI event rolls into the US, much less, Los Angeles. This year’s UCI Track Cycling World Cup took place at the on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in their VELO Sports Center at the StubHub Center, drawing crowds that surprised. Eugene was there, in the pits so to speak, covering the events of the two-day World Cup. The most notable conquests that weekend were the United States’ own Chloe Dygert Individual Pursuit, the New Zealand team took home the event trophy, and French took home the 2016-2017 Tissot UCI Track Cycling World Cup title.

While track cycling in the United States has yet to reach “Six Days” status, seeing an event like this land in Los Angeles is a win / win.

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Follow Eugene on Instagram.

Golden Saddle Rides: With a Cherubim on Top Track Bike
Photos by Kyle Kelley, words by John Watson

A gilded ride deserves a few balleur upgrades. This Cherubim track bike was picked up from Tokyo’s Sexon Super Peace, one of my favorite shops in Japan. I visited this storefront back in 2009 and regrettably, didn’t make it back on my last trip to Tokyo. At any rate, that shop is known for having an incredible stock of track bikes and coincidentally, that’s where this golden Cherubim came from.

When Jeremy, the owner brought the frame and parts over to Golden Saddle Cyclery for a pro build, everyone was drooling over not only the frame, but the parts as well, right down to the Toshi bar tape. Berthoud saddle, EAI gold cog, vintage Campagnolo hubs laced to H+Son TB14 rims make for practical, vintage-inspired build kit.

There are few bicycles that are as well balanced aesthetically as a track bike. Their simplicity makes for a pure form that is not only easy on the eyes, but a balanced and proportioned ride quality.

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If you want a custom build like this and live in Los Angeles, hit up Golden Saddle Cyclery.