Welcome to RECON where you will find all of our latest stories including gear reviews, ride recaps and industry news.
In case you hadn’t heard yet, handlebar bags are finally cool. It wasn’t long ago that this accessory was something you wouldn’t even consider as part of your setup. Fortunately the days of “rules” in cycling are finally behind us, now that function and utility have its rightful place as a priority. There are loads of handlebar bags available today, each offering unique styles and functionality. We got our hands on this one from Topo Designs, called the Bike Bag.
Read MoreListen in to a conversation between Craig Dalton and Ted King. Ted discusses his former pro career followed by his entry into the gravel world. Also discussed are the Rooted Vermont gravel event Ted and his wife have created.
Read MoreWe’re pleased to introduce our second presale for 2019, going on now until May 19, 2019. Like the kit we released earlier this year, the colors are a charcoal grey and steel blue. New for our spring team collection we are offering a team specific jersey, designed for our Development Team, arm warmers and base layers.
Read MoreMatteo Pistono’s account of The Stagecoach 400 multi-day bikepacking race in Southern California.
Read MoreThis is how the 2019 Belgian Waffle Ride weekend would begin. With another SoCal breakfast favorite, the burrito. The brainchild of Brandt Furgerson, aka Uncle Tio, the 2nd annual Breakfast Burrito Ride (BBR) would take place on the cloud covered morning of May 3. Hosted by Canyon Bicycles USA, the BBR is a no-drop, all smiles coastal roll to the top of Torrey Pines and back. Just 35 miles in distance, the ride covers perhaps San Diego’s most popular strip of pavement. While not much dirt in sight (that will come on Sunday), the views and vibes through Carlsbad, Encinitas, Cardiff, Solana Beach and Del Mar can’t be beat.
Read MoreDuring a recent trip to the Bay Area we stopped by the Outer Shell workshop to see what Kyle and Jim were up to. Last Fall we met up with these guys for a #CoffeeOutsideSF ride to Battery Wagner, followed by some sweet gravel shredding around the Marin Headlands. With no bike, and no time to ride, this time we opted for a quick visit to see what was new in the land of extremely dope bike gear. Here are a few shots we took that beautiful afternoon in the Mission District.
Read MoreNot a race, the Hunt of the North is a true test of a rider’s gravel cycling abilities. Participants will call upon skills of navigation, proficiency on dirt terrain, a readiness to support other riders, and mindfulness of their surroundings as they become “hunteurs” to collect five pieces of uniquely colored gravel, each in a different location.
Read MoreIt was shortly after a friend’s birthday road ride to the top of Palomar Mountain in February of last year that we first had the idea for our own ride of a similar theme. With little time to plan we reached out to our friend Roman for help in crafting a memorable route that would take riders on a gravel adventure in late March of 2018. The concept was simple, yet true to our ways. The Great Western Reroute (GWR) was born.
Read MoreOur very first time to the Sea Otter Classic was quite the spectacle. While this is traditionally a mountain bike event, it has increasingly featured numerous large and small brand gravel bikes from all over the world. We visited numerous booths to bring you our favorite gravel bikes from the show.
Read MoreENVE arrived in style at Sea Otter this year with their 3rd annual Ride to Sea Otter starting in San Francisco and ending 140 miles later in Carmel. A few riders were even lucky enough to test the all new SES 3.4 AR road wheels, which officially launched on Thursday at the show. ENVE created a great video of the ride shown here, enjoy!
Read MoreWe carefully crafted these socks with durability and comfort in mind. Made with extra fine micron Merino Wool from Australia and New Zealand to create the best natural wicking fiber available. These are an all-season socks ideal for cool and warm temperatures alike.
Read More#BestBikeGameEver. That is the hashtag for the Croatan Buck Fifty (CBF) race held in Swansboro, NC. Matt Hawkins and Gordon Wadsworth, the two race directors, set out to make that hashtag more than just a few words though.
Read MoreA few shots by Explore With Chris at our team event this week at The Lost Abbey San Marcos. Eliel Cycling custom Gravelstoke kits were distributed and team sponsors announced. More details coming soon!
Read MoreI have ridden numerous styles of Class 1 and Class 3 pedal assist bicycles over the past few years and have found them to be a lot of fun. So when Yamaha reached out with an opportunity to try out their new gravel adventure bicycle known as Wabash, I was very intrigued. And what an eye opening experience!
Read MoreWe tune into the Gravel Ride Podcast and listen in on conversations from the 2019 North American Handmade Bicycle Show in Sacramento, CA. Some interesting news from Steve Potts, Mosaic, Wolf Tooth, McGovern, Panaracer, Olivetti, No. 22 and Civilian.
Read MoreGravel riding in San Diego’s north county offers a combination of urban shard-ladened tarmac connecting hard packed sand and rollers on washed out and rutted mountain bike loops. In these conditions, for traction and stability, I prefer to max out the tire size to 38 mm on my Foundry Overland. But with the Belgian Waffle Ride date quickly approaching, and other adventures like the SBT GRVL, where I will likely run a smaller tire choice, I thought I would test out Ere Research’s 32 mm Tenaci.
Read MoreA new contest gives participants the opportunity to win a brand new Canyon Grail gravel bike, all for a great cause! Benefiting the trails of San Diego County, for every $5 donated, you will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a 2019 Canyon Grail CF SL 8.0 SL.
Read MoreAn interview with Vince Colvin of Chumba USA, Podcast by The Gravel Ride.
Read MoreNew for 2019, Moots introduces the Routt YBB ultra-compliant gravel bike. The bike incorporates the legendary Moots YBB ‘softail’ micro-suspension design, first pioneered on its mountain bikes in the1990’s, and adapts it to create the ultimate gravel bike.
Read MoreRuta Del Jefe’s name represents ‘El Jefe’, who is a Jaguar that has roamed the region widely recognized as Sky Islands in southern Arizona. The recent appearance of another long-time friend of the region has provided our hosts, The Appleton Whittell Research Ranch, with hope of El Jefe’s return after his disappearance.
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