For fifteen years, the Stagecoach 400 has tested riders across four hundred miles of Southern California terrain, from mountains to desert to coast. Stagecoach 400: The Series is a five-part documentary series filmed from the inside. Across five episodes, the series will follow riders through the highs, the doubts, the bad decisions, and the moments when everything starts to unravel. What emerges is an honest look at endurance, community, and why this route continues to matter…
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Radar
Velo Cosmos is This Weekend
Velo Cosmos returns to the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley, California this weekend. Find the full event schedule below.
Radar
BIG Changes are coming to Stinner Frameworks!
Stinner Frameworks is entering an exciting new chapter, and it’s all because of its customers’ incredible support. In this video, Aaron Stinner is excited to share the big changes happening as the Santa Barbara operations move into a larger shop. A space where the brand can build even more bikes, create a dedicated area for its amazing customers, and open its doors so you can see precisely how our bikes are made… Want to learn more about Stinner Frameworks’ new operations? Check out John’s Shop Visit from earlier this year!
Reportage
Orogenesis Part III: Lost Sierra to Sierra Camino
Kurt Refsnider is riding the full length of the new Orogenesis route, dubbed “the longest mountain bike trail in the world.” This third installment covers his miles through northern California and some of his favorite riding on the route thus far – from the Great Basin’s arid edge, through the Lost Sierra, the comparatively flowy Lake Tahoe area trails, the Owens Valley, and the high Eastern Sierra.
Radar
Throwback Thursday: Cerro Gordo
As the pace at which media has to produce content seemingly increases exponentially each year, we want to take a minute to reflect on some legacy projects from our archives. For this Throwback Thursday article, we check out John’s project with SRAM and Moots in the Inyo Mountains of California. Watch Cerro Gordo here…
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Radar
Camp Canyon Recap: A Permission Slip for Adventure
Canyon Bikes is a brand that usually speaks in the language of podiums, watts, and world tours. But on a warm evening in Carlsbad, the company chose a different dialect. Camp Canyon wasn’t about racing. It was about the messy, unpredictable, deeply personal side of riding that rarely makes it into press releases or race reports.
The format was simple. Bring a few hundred riders together, fire up the grill, let the San Diego Mountain Biking Association pour beers, and shift the focus away from performance as the primary expression of life in the saddle. Instead, the night circled around a single theme: the permission to go off-script. We’re playing host to the event’s recap, so read on for more about Camp Canyon…
Radar
Camp Canyon is a Free Event in Carlsbad, California – This Weekend
Embrace the spirit of adventure riding at the FREE Camp Canyon event this weekend, September 20th, in Carlsbad. A summer camp-inspired evening of bikepacking know-how, community, and connection…
Reportage
2025 Grinduro: Nostalgia Wins
Ten years ago, the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship held the first Grinduro. This unique gravel race included four timed segments, and it encouraged a convivial atmosphere celebrating the natural splendor of the Lost Sierra. Now Grinduro has returned to its roots in Quincy, California – but after a decade of life changes, wildfires, and a global pandemic, is Grinduro still as amazing as it was in its early days? Read on for John’s in-depth race Reportage along with a few words on why nostalgia will always win…
Radar
Surf City Cyclocross Returns October 25–26 at Crest Ranch
The Rock Lobster and Onko Rinkus crew is bringing Surf City Cyclocross back for another lap around the sun. This year’s event will take place on October 25-26 for our two-day race and camping festival at Crest Ranch in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. This will be the event’s 47th year, making Surf City the oldest ‘cross series in the Western Hemisphere!
Radar
AMG Cyclery One Year Anniversary Party!
Join AMG Cyclery in Seaside, California, for its one-year party tomorrow, July 26th, from 6 PM ’til late, at 805 Broadway Ave. Check out more details on their Instagram!
Reportage
You Bet! in Nevada City: Six Years Later
Six years ago, John documented the Nevada City, California-based You Bet! bike shop. Recently, he returned to catch up with Jay and Kurt. Read on for a well-documented transformation and a look at some of Jay’s sweet bikes!
Radar
The 2025 Radavist Calendar: July
“Marin Daze” is the seventh layout of The Radavist 2025 Calendar. It was shot with a Canon R5 and a f2.8 70-200 mm lens in Marin County, California. Photographed by John Watson.
“From all my Shop Visit photos, this one from the Inside / Out at Hudski Bikes will long remain a favorite…”
For a high-res JPG, suitable for print and desktop wallpaper*, right-click and save link as – The Radavist 2025 – July. Please, this photo is for personal use only! (*set background to white and center for optimal coverage)
Reportage
Stinner Frameworks and Manufacturing: Substantial Transformation
Stinner Frameworks recently opened a Manufacturing division in its shop in Goleta, just northwest of Santa Barbara, California. John, having shot every workshop iteration along Aaron Stinner’s fourteen-year career path building frames, got to peer inside the team’s new operation last month. Read on for his words and photos on Aaron’s vision for the brand’s future and what that means for US bicycle production…
Reportage
2025 Lost and Found: Darling Gravel
It’d been six years since John rode and photographed the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship‘s Lost and Found gravel race. He first covered the event in 2018 as part of the Triple Crown race series and then again in 2019. A lot has changed in the Lost Sierra since his last visit, so let’s check out an action-packed gallery, shot from his bicycle!
Radar
The People’s Champ: A Lost & Found Love Song
Tobin Ortenblad has always had a special connection with the Lost Sierra. Growing up in Santa Cruz, he gravitated toward the remote corner of the northeast Sierra often to ride and race, and quickly became a member of the close-knit community cultivated by the Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship (SBTS)…
Reportage
Beach Club Track x Ashley Anodized It: Cosmic Splatter Pista
Following up from last weekend’s LA Invitational, John took some photos of a very special Beach Club track bike with a custom Ashley Anodized It finish. Let’s take a closer look at this wild cosmic splatter pista!
Reportage
The 2025 LA Invitational: Los Angeles Shines
Cari, Miguel, and John traveled to this year’s LA Invitational, hosted by The Cub House. Read on for John’s love letter to Los Angeles and the people who call it home, along with a gallery jam-packed with the riding, bikes, people, and vibes from the eighth-annual showcase…
Reportage
Steel is Real: Josh Becker’s Onko Rinkus Basket Bike Survived a Car Hitting It
Steel is indeed real. After Josh Becker‘s beloved Onko Rinkus got hit by some dingus while he was commuting on it, the bike was salvaged and Josh is back to thrashin’ and crashin’ it! Read on for a story about the perseverance of steel bikes and a fast ‘n’ loose photo gallery shot by Josh and John!