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It’s the last Friday of the year, and that means it’s time for our annual Top Ten Readers’ Rides list! Started in 2011, Readers’ Rides showcases the unique bikes owned by the readership of The Radavist. Like our Top Ten Bike Reviews list we posted yesterday, we compiled data from views and comments to distill down ten prime examples. This year’s list has some wild ones, so let’s get to it!
Our Rad Bazaar is a thank you to all who sign up for The Radavist Membership, a $6.66/month or $69.69/year subscription plan that helps keep The Radavist rolling. If you want to help independent media, sign up for our Membership at the Rad Bazaar!
Sometimes, something so beautiful pops up on the Rad Bazaar that we have to share it! Check out this Diamondback Ridge Runner from Matt of Hobohubworks:
“1983 Ridge Runner! Lugged beauty. New Simworks Tires, new tubes, new chain, new brake pads, new bars, new grips, new cables and housing, rims were replaced by SE bikes double wall Rims. Everything else was taken apart cleaned and rebuilt. Size 22 good for someone 5’10+ Willing to ship! $500OBO”
For $500 this is a steal for someone looking for a great vintage mountain touring bike!
Check it out at the Rad Bazaar.
The Trek Antelopes are a great alternative to the Stumpjumpers and MB-1 of the era. For this week’s Readers’ Rides, Matt shares his 1987 Trek 800 Antelope with us…
We are delighted to launch our first feature-length documentary film, Camera Corner: Wende Cragg Documents the Birth of Mountain Biking. It profiles Wende’s work and its lasting impact on the cycling industry. Photographer Wende Cragg has been a pillar of the cycling community since she began documenting road, cyclocross, and the early days of mountain biking in Marin County, California, and throughout the United States over 50 years ago.
Continue reading below for all the details!
One tire dominated the market when it came to the mountain bikes of the early 1980s: the Snake Belly. House of Looptail just reissued this classic pattern with the original Japanese tire manufacturer, Panaracer. John bought a set at their launch and has a hands-on look at and review of them below…
Blue Lug is probably one of the only online shops (let’s face it, they’re shaping a lot of the bike culture in Tokyo too) that can make a handlebar with Nitto and immediately sell out of them. Not unlike a limited Nike drop or an ultra-limited vinyl pressing. The Nitto Jam Bar ($57) is a case in point. Super affordable, comfy, and strong…
There’s something special about a bike like this. Wayne from Tailwind Cyclery submitted his 1988 Raleigh Chinook basket bike for this week’s Readers’ Rides, and we think you’ll love it as much as we do!
This week’s Readers’ Rides comes from our home base of Santa Fe, penned by Ship of Fools Pedal Club and the Santa Fe Fat Tire Society‘s own Blake Hendsch. Below, Blake writes about a fun Specialized Hardrock basket bike build. Let’s check it out!
If you have converted a 1980s or 90s vintage MTB to a commuter, basket bike, or tourer, and have been looking for solid, affordable fenders for the winter months, look no further. PDW just announced its All Metal Fenders ($149) in a 26″ wheel diameter. They’ll fit a 26 x 2.2″ tire, maximum, which is about as big as most 1980s MTBs would fit anyway and come pre-assembled to make installation easier. Check out more at Portland Design Works.
Josh, Cari, and John were in Fairfax for a few days during the Camera Corner premiere, and before the Saturday screening, John shot Wende Cragg’s 1978 Breezer Series I, also known as #6, fresh off its world tour…
We shared the news earlier this month. If you have a “Chicken Coop” 1980 Ritchey or an early biplane model from 1979 to 1982 that is missing its fork or Bullmoose bar, now’s your chance to have Tom Ritchey himself build a replacement fork for it. Ritchey is now taking orders as Tom resurrects the MOUNTAIN BIKES name…
Bars start at $700 for an unpainted clampless threadless version.
Forks start at $800 for unpainted sloping crown threaded steerer.
Roll on over to Ritchey to submit a form for order.
While John was checking in with Ritchey before Sea Otter, he got a sneak peek at the new Tom Ritchey-built Bullmoose bars and bi-plane forks Tom was working on for owners of these original 1980 Ritchey Mountain Bikes. Tom said he was inspired by both John’s and David Harrison’s restoration work on these non-serial 1980 frames that were sold without Bullmoose bars or forks.
Well, the news is live today that Tom Ritchey will be debuting this collection in person at MADE, so let’s check out the full 411 below!
We looked at the restoration of this 1984 Ritchey Annapurna through a series of videos earlier this year, and today, we’re sharing a full Beautiful Bicycles gallery documentation of it, along with a brief quote by Tom Ritchey himself. John takes a look at this esquisite emblematic example of the quality work leaving the workshop of Ritchey below!
Photographer Wende Cragg has been a pillar of the cycling community since she began documenting road, cyclocross, and the early days of mountain biking in Marin County, California, and throughout the United States over 50 years ago. We are delighted to launch the trailer for our first feature-length documentary film, Camera Corner: Wende Cragg Documents the Birth of Mountain Biking. It profiles Wende’s work and its lasting impact on the cycling industry.
We’re also unveiling a book and merch pre-order, as well as the beginning of a growing list of film screenings, which kicks off with the world premiere at the Marin Museum of Bicycling on August 16th & 17th and another at MADE’s movie night on August 23rd. There’s exclusive early viewing access, pre-orders for an epic photobook featuring Wende’s work, and an associated throwback merchandise run.
Continue reading below for all the details!
While period-correct restorations are great, nothing beats a vintage mountain bike built specifically to the owner’s desires. Sam’s Schwinn High Sierra rolled into our Readers’ Rides inbox this week, and we had to share it immediately!
Dirt drops are mentioned periodically here on The Radavist, usually in the context of a modern hardtail, rigid mountain bike, or adventure touring bike. But where did this terminology come from, and how are vintage dirt drops wildly different from what we have today? Using his 1983 Steve Potts as a platform for discussion, John unfurled the unique history behind this bike and looked at a proper 1980s dirt drop setup. Let’s check it out.
While Josh was at Bespoked, John was down in Melbourne at the MADE Bike Show Australia and compiled a few galleries from the event. Let’s check out a bike gallery loaded with heaps of details below!
Braden from Outpost Richmond sent in his GT Tachyon for this week’s Readers’ Rides, along with a bunch of photos and an excellent write-up so let’s get to it!
