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Vintage Bicycles: 1983 Steve Potts MTB – What Are Dirt Drops?

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Vintage Bicycles: 1983 Steve Potts MTB – What Are Dirt Drops?

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.

WTB Unveils a Whole New Grip Lineup

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WTB Unveils a Whole New Grip Lineup

WTB was one of the first MTB companies and in their early days used to carve down Magura motorcycle grips for MTB use. The brand has come a long way since launching the Toe Flip, and today it announced a whole new grip lineup ($29 each) with varying thickness, profiles, and in two colors; black and tan. Let’s look at these all-new grips below…

WTB’s Bailiff 27.5 x 4.5″ Fatbike Tires

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WTB’s Bailiff 27.5 x 4.5″ Fatbike Tires

Fatbikes are often laid to the wayside by the bike industry, so when we come across a fatbike product, we have to share it. Case in point is WTB’s new Bailiff ($134.95) 27.5 x 4.5″ fatbike tires. These are available in standard and studded, with carbide studs pre-installed. Yet, both versions feature 312 stud pockets for unbeatable traction on ice. The Bailiff’s tubeless-ready 120tpi casing provides a supple ride feel, conforms to all surface conditions, and minimizes rotational weight. Its snow-specific compound remains soft at extremely cold temperatures to provide unparalleled traction on the most frigid days of the year.

Check out more at WTB.

WTB 26″ x 2.8″ Ranger Tires in Stock at Crust Bikes

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WTB 26″ x 2.8″ Ranger Tires in Stock at Crust Bikes

26+ ain’t dead, it’s just getting harder to find these plus sized tire diameters. WTB isn’t selling these direct to consumer any longer but they have opened up OE manufacturer sales. Of which, Crust Bikes bought a boatload and have stocked this hard to find tire size at its web shop. So, if you’re hunting for a 26″ x 2.8″ tire for your tourer, now’s the time to stock up. In stock and shipping today from Crust Bikes.

Putting The Guarantee To The Test: WTB CZR i30 Wheelset Review

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Putting The Guarantee To The Test: WTB CZR i30 Wheelset Review

WTB’s CZR I30 wheelset touts some hefty claims with their line of carbon rims, but most importantly a lifetime “while riding” rim replacement policy. It’s a quite handy thing to guarantee because, don’t you just know it, Spencer Harding broke a carbon rim again. Below, Spencer outlines the ins and outs of the WTB CZR i30 wheelset, where it stands in the field or carbon wheelsets, and how the WTB rim replacement process works. 

Vintage Bicycles: Jacquie’s Singlespeed Wilderness Trail Bikes Phoenix

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Vintage Bicycles: Jacquie’s Singlespeed Wilderness Trail Bikes Phoenix

We’re running with an alternative format for this week’s Vintage Bicycles feature! It’s one we hope you enjoy as it was penned by the original owner of this stunning singlespeed WTB Phoenix, Jacquie Phelan. Jacquie was an early MTB pioneer in the Marin constituency and along with her racing accolades is, perhaps, most known for starting the Women’s Mountain Bike & Tea Society (WOMBATS). In her own words,  she hasn’t retired from racing and still loves to mix it up on two wheels. Read on for her retelling of how this bike faired at the 2008 Napa Single Speed World Championships (SSWC)…

It Takes Two: John’s 1985 Steve Potts Signature

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It Takes Two: John’s 1985 Steve Potts Signature

Marin County was a bustling time for the early mountain bike scene from the late 70s and well into the 80s. Names like Tom Ritchey/Gary Fisher/Charlie Kelly at the MountainBikes store, and Joe Breeze, Charlie Cunningham, and Steve Potts psychically and physically shaping the future of the then-fledgling sport with their fire-road ripping designs, torches and tig welders.

We’ve reported on Cunningham and Potts’ involvement in Wilderness Trail Bikes (known widely as WTB) over the past few years along with Mark Slate. In 1983, Cunningham, Potts, and Mark Slate founded WTB, and the trio began developing components in Marin, leaning on both builder’s fondness for innovation and exquisitely unique craft. While Steve loved to shape tubes with brass fillets, focusing on the form regardless of weight, Charlie would tig aluminum and shave grams anywhere he could. The two made for a dynamic duo of constructeurs.

By the time 1985 rolled around, mountain bikes were a legitimate tour de force within the bike industry. Even though they gravitated towards completely different frame materials and processes, Cunningham and Potts were credited with crafting some of the most iconic bikes of the era and still found the time to collaborate and share ideas.

As with many of the influential characters and pivotal moments in the early days of the almighty mountain bike, collaboration was key, and sometimes, it took two talented individuals to make a single bike…

Vintage Bicycles: 1987 Steve Potts Signature

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Vintage Bicycles: 1987 Steve Potts Signature

This entry from our Vintage Bicycles series is my personal favorite bike I’ve shot thus far. It’s not often you find such a clean and pristine example of a 1980s Potts Signature, complete with WTB dirt drops, a LD stem, and a full WTB/Suntour Grease Guard kit. Today we’re stoked to feature this gem with words by the Vintage MTB Workshop‘s Tasshi Dennis so read on below for more!

Vintage Bicycles: 1988 WTB Wildcat Prototype

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Vintage Bicycles: 1988 WTB Wildcat Prototype

I’m sure most of you are familiar with WTB. They make tires, sealant, saddles, grips, and more, currently. Yet, WTB began as a much different brand, with its line of Grease Guard hubs, headsets, brakes, tires, forks, and yep, even bicycle frames! Started by Mark Slate, Steve Potts, and Charlie Cunningham, WTB has helped shape the mountain bike industry we know today. We already looked at the Banana Slug, which was used to display early WTB components and to showcase Steve Pott’s work but today we’ve got something different… One of the lesser-known WTB frames is the Wildcat, and today we look at a one-off prototype with words by Noah, a lifelong collector and fan of Wilderness Trail Bikes…

WTB’s TCS System is Now Complete with New Tubeless Tire Sealant

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WTB’s TCS System is Now Complete with New Tubeless Tire Sealant

Piggybacking on our recent news that WTB is keeping 29/27.5+ tires in its catalog, we wanted to plug – sorry, bad pun – the brand’s new Tubeless Tire Sealant.

For a company that is probably best known for its tires, WTB cares about keeping you rolling across all aspects of wheel-related goods. This is evident in its wheel development, rim tape, valves, tires, and now its own Tubeless Tire Sealant. It only makes sense that the brand would want to encapsulate its products under the TCS System umbrella. Now, not all sealant is created equal, and while everyone has their favorite sealant to use but WTB is doing something unique with its sealant so let’s check out what details make it different…