The Radavist

For the next installment of the Radical Rigs series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a self-portrait including his 1996 KZJ95 Land Cruiser Prado and his Baphomet Bicycles hardtail…

In an age of persistent burn bans and wildfire risk, the tradition of the campfire is at risk of dying out. But not wanting to give up on his primordial instincts, Paul Kalifatidi has turned to the Howl R1 campfire to bring a comfortable warmth to the campsite. Read on for a review that even a neanderthal would love.

People ride bikes for many reasons: their practicality, simplicity, exercise, and, hell, even for fun. Adding aftermarket details, tuning the bike to their preferences, and making aesthetic choices are all part of the joy of self-expression through these mechanical contraptions. Bikes can be a labor of love.

Many bike tinkerers possess an overlapping interest in vehicles. For many of us, cars, trucks, vans, and four-wheeled contraptions present a larger and more complicated playground to practice our problem-solving and creativity.  For those of us who appreciate unreliability and tom-foolery, we present Radical Rigs, with support from 1Up USA. 

For the next installment of this series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of a purveyor of bad ideas and mid-century-modern enthusiast, Ossie Pleasant, alongside his Volvo C304 and silly track bikes.

Trigger warning: you might not like the idea of a 6×6 Volvo pop-top camper being on the pages of The Radavist, and that’s okay. If this isn’t for you, no harm done here. 

Bellingham’s own Evil Bikes forged the Following – their short-travel full-sus steed that blurs the line between playful and possessed – almost five years ago. Is it getting a bit long in the tooth, or does this 120 mm carbon creation prove that the classics never go out of style? Paul Kalifatidi reviews the Evil Following LS on PNW trails. Read along and decide if this cult is worth following…

For the next installment of the Radical Rigs series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of Taylor Wallace, a Bozeman-based bike rider and bean merchant. Take a peek at two of Taylor’s unique vehicles, a 1993 Ford F250 and a 1987 Volkswagen Syncro, and get to know Taylor and his buddy Eli… 

Recycled Cycles has been an anchor for Seattle’s alternative bike scene for over 30 years. It’s been docked on Boat Street since 1994, but don’t worry – it’s a building and not about to float away. When I mention Recycled Cycles, it’s clear that the shop carries a reverence. Any Seattleite who’s needed an obscure part, a clever hack, or quality word of advice knows about the shop and its bins of treasure. Join Paul Kalifatidi as we explore the displays, drawers, and inhabitants of 1007 NE Boat Street. And yes, the bathroom key is a Shimano Dura Ace crank arm.

Deep in an unassuming Seattle industrial building, buried in the daylight basement, is Stunt Doubles. People tend to say “cave of bad ideas,” but Paul Kalifatidi wants to set the record straight—owner Brandon Waterman seems to only have stellar ideas worth exploring. These include door stops. Yes, your local Seattle bike finishing studio also makes lovely door stops. Welcome to Stunt Doubles…

People ride bikes for many reasons: their practicality, simplicity, exercise, and, hell, even for fun. Adding aftermarket details, tuning the bike to their preferences, and making aesthetic choices are all part of the joy of self-expression through these mechanical contraptions. Bikes can be a labor of love.

Many bike tinkerers possess an overlapping interest in vehicles. For many of us, cars, trucks, vans, and four-wheeled contraptions present a larger and more complicated playground to practice our problem-solving and creativity. Few bike repairs involve lying on freezing concrete and sending a tight fist filled with a cold ratchet at Mach 3 into the bottom of a steering rack. Most bikes can be repaired without an obscure connection to an overseas junkyard. For those of us who appreciate unreliability and tom-foolery, we present Radical Rigs, with support from 1Up USA. Like the bikes on The Radavist, these rigs might be perfect. They also might be so far from perfection that they go full circle and become better than perfect. They might be dented and dinged, they might be muddy and marred, but they’re all rad.

For the next installment of the Radical Rigs series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of a collector of classics, Chris Wisco, alongside his 1973 BMW 2002 Tii and Colnago Super Profil.

The 2025 Made Bike Show in Portland, Oregon, drew crowds of people to admire Beautiful Bicycles from around the world. Paul Kalifatidi was in attendance with his pen and notepad ready, capturing some of the best overheard quotes from the showcase along with a fun gallery of people, places, and things from the weekend…

For the next installment of Radical Rigs, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of frame builder Greg Heath (Donkelope Bikes) alongside his 2000 Toyota Tacoma SR5 and various purple bikes…

Paul Kalifatidi visits the design and fabrication studio of Loam Equipment, makers of custom technical accessories in beautiful Bellingham, Washington. Rachel Bjarnason and Alan Martinez craft one-of-a-kind frame bags that add character and function to bikes throughout the Pacific Northwest and beyond. But there’s much more to Loam than frame bags. Take a peek behind the scenes at Loam Equipment…

In a sunny studio overlooking the bustling streets of Seattle’s Pioneer Square, High Above consists of three craftsmen working to produce the highest quality riding bags on the market. Bathed in beautiful (and rare) late winter sunlight, Kyle, Spencer, and Eric plug away at various sewing machines. A 2D CNC machine hums in the back of the room, making patterns the human hand finds difficult. A blueprint of the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk, inspiration for the pattern taking shape on the CNC table, hangs on the wall. This all sounds very serious, but please know that the industrial-looking CNC machine has googly eyes. This is High Above, and they produce nothing but quality.

High Above has been making Hip Packs and various bike accessories in Washington for more than a decade. Hip Packs are their tried and true, but their new product aims to fit the demands of riders who want a different way to carry more gear. Follow along with this two-article special as Paul Kalifatidi steals their new jetpack, er, Supernatural Vest Pack, gives it a proper shake-down, and takes the shredded remains back to their secret lab in Seattle. Spoiler alert, I was unable to damage anything besides my integumentary system. Now, I get to share my thoughts on what I believe is this segment-leading product. I managed to get out for a ride with High Above co-owner, Kyle Thackray, on the pack’s namesake trail.

For the next installment of the Radical Rigs series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of videographer, dirt-bike rescuer, and bike handler, Logan Patrick Nelson, alongside his 1999 Toyota RAV4 and Gary Fisher Aquila.

For the last few months, “Pink Pony Club” by Chappel Roan has been playing on repeat out of the small garage doors of Baphomet Bicycles. Behind the little blue Suzuki Jimny with safari windows, Dillen Maurer’s newest creation was taking shape. Bellingham-based Radavist contributor Paul Kalifatidi caught up with Dillen to check out his garage shop and see what he was cooking up for this year‘s Tour Divide. Let’s check it out…

People ride bikes for many reasons: their practicality, simplicity, exercise, and, hell, even for fun. Adding aftermarket details, tuning the bike to their preferences, and making aesthetic choices are all part of the joy of self-expression through these mechanical contraptions. Bikes can be a labor of love.

Many bike tinkerers possess an overlapping interest in vehicles. For many of us, cars, trucks, vans, and four-wheeled contraptions are just larger and more complicated sources of labor and recipients of love than our bikes. Few bike repairs involve laying on freezing concrete and sending a tight fist filled with a cold ratchet at Mach 3 into the bottom of a steering rack.

Most bikes can be repaired without an obscure connection to an overseas junkyard. For those of us who appreciate unreliability and tom-foolery, we present Radical Rigs, with support from 1Up USA. Like the bikes on The Radavist, these rigs might be perfect. They also might be so far from perfection that they go full circle and become better than perfect. They might be dented and dinged, they might be muddy and marred, but they’re all rad.

For this installment of this series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of free-rider, Blake Hansen, and her 80-series Land Cruiser and bar-spinning Specialized Status.

To folks with disabilities, an electric bike can be much more than a recreational device. Dillen Maurer, a familiar face to Radavist regulars, reviews the Salsa Confluence ($2,999), a gravel e-bike, from his unique perspective as an amputee. Paul Kalifatidi provides the images. Let’s dive in…

People ride bikes for many reasons: their practicality, their simplicity, exercise, self-expression, and hell, even for fun. Adding aftermarket details, tuning the bike to their preferences, and making aesthetic choices are all part of the fun. Working on bikes, building bikes, and riding bikes can be a labor of love. 

Many bike tinkerers possess an overlapping interest in cars. For those people, we present Radical Rigs, with support from 1Up USA. Like the bikes on The Radavist, these rigs might be perfect. They also might be so far from perfection that they go full circle and become better than perfect. They might be dented and dinged, they might be muddy and marred, but they’re all rad.

For the next installment of this new series, Paul Kalifatidi presents a portrait of Bellingham trailbuilder Flynn alongside his 1997 Mitsubishi Delica and Raaw Jibb.