The Radavist
Last February, I took a detour to Santa Fe during a road trip from Portland to New Orleans.
While the name might be famous in Japan as the title of a certain photo book, my goal for stopping here was to meet John Watson and Cari Carmean of The Radavist.
I probably don’t need to introduce The Radavist, but it’s a media outlet that covers the alternative cycling scene.
In short, it’s a media outlet for stubborn folks who love steel bikes. (People who like this style of cycling often forget that steel bikes are actually a very niche category in the bicycle industry.)
Their beautiful photography has become the gold standard for bike photos worldwide, and their journalism is always filled with fresh information born from a deep love for steel bikes. I recommend this article and this one. (It’s great that they also cover camera gear.)
In an era where you can read anything with a web browser translator, I highly recommend checking them out frequently!
Santa Fe
Now, a bit about Santa Fe, where they live.
Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico, situated at an altitude of 2,000 meters. In Japan, that’s about the same altitude as the Takamine Highlands in Nagano Prefecture. They say the oxygen is about 3/4 of what it is at sea level, making it a place even used for high-altitude training. Since it was February, the wind was intense and it was freezing cold!
Santa Fe was originally Spanish territory and has been a city since 1607. Since the United States was founded in 1783, this city has been around even longer than the country itself.
It was absolutely wonderful, filled with buildings that had such a great atmosphere.
The food was delicious, too; the Mexican food I had at La Choza Restaurant was the best meal of my entire trip to the US.
A casual Japanese restaurant called Ozu was great, and a bakery called Bread Shop also had a fantastic atmosphere.
The friendly owner couple at Bread Shop, who said, “You guys should handle SimWorks POP for us!”, were also the best.
By the way, Jacob, the owner of Bread Shop, loves bikes. His OMNIUM E-Cargo, tricked out with a child seat and a cargo case, was a totally rad “dad-bike” setup.
Santa Fe was wonderful. I wanted to go to many more places, but my stay was short, so I definitely want to go back.
RAD Merch
I’ve stocked up on some fresh merch from Santa Fe for the first time in a while, so let me introduce them! Many of these are exclusively available at Circles in Japan!
THE RADAVIST Bivo Trio Mini 21oz – The Radavist Special
The Radavist special edition of BIVO, the best bottle in Circles' history. For more on BIVO, check here.
Not only does it offer perfect thermal insulation, but it’s also an excellent product that fits perfectly into standard bike bottle cages.
The fact that it was “developed by former NASA engineers” is a surprisingly high-appeal point.
It features a special package design with The Radavist’s jackal illustration.
Since this bottle is easy to disassemble and clean, and allows you to enjoy the pure taste of your water, I highly recommend it for exploring natural springs in the summer.
It’s a necessity for the upcoming hotter season.
Water Bottle
If you want to enjoy their unique graphics, I recommend these water bottles! They are basic water bottles, but they definitely have good taste.
Golden Sunrize 26 oz
Shred Nocturnal 26 oz
OG OD 22 oz
Perfect items to install their aesthetic onto your bike. I basically recommend buying two!
Stem Cap – Radavist Raidō
A stem cap featuring the Radavist Raidō (this refers to the font). It’s a minor dress-up part, but I stocked it because the graphic is cool. I love this font.
Available in 6 colors. They’re all so good it’s hard to choose. Made in USA.
Stem Cap – Fear is the Mind Killer
A stem cap with a graphic that sci-fi fans won’t be able to resist.
The source material is a passage from the historical sci-fi masterpiece “Dune” by Frank Herbert.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.”
THE RADAVIST Voile Strap – Radavist Rune
The Radavist graphic on everyone’s favorite Voile Strap.
Quite a few places make original graphics for these, but if you’re going to use one, you might as well use one from a brand you love, right?
20-inch (50cm) only. Available in 3 colors. Did you know these are actually made in the USA?
By the way, these RAD Merch items are produced to help fund their operations. In other words, purchasing RAD Merch means supporting them. The Radavist maintains completely independent management and handles everything with a DIY spirit, and we stock them because we want to support them too!
Stickers
I also stocked up on some stickers for casual customization.
Radavist Kiss Cut – Six Pack
Stickers you can easily put on your bike, PC, or anywhere else. This set includes 6 stickers. Made in USA.
Sticker – Roadrunner – 2 Pack
The Roadrunner, the running bird that symbolizes the Southwest.
These are sold as a set of 2. Made in USA.
Metal Bikes for Metal People
This is a sticker that fully expresses John Watson’s love for metal music.
He’s quite the metal head, having a collection of metal vinyls at home.
“Death to poseur carbon! ;-)”
It’s a sticker filled with fighting spirit.
Sold individually. Made in USA.
I’d Rather Be Klunking
A classic bumper sticker.
It's a high-durability sticker, reportedly made from material that lasts 8 years.
Please wipe the surface with rubbing alcohol (do not use glass cleaner, as it may leave a residue). Once the surface is completely dry, you can apply it.
This bumper sticker is from a campaign for Camera Corner, a must-have photo book for steel bike lovers that we carry.
Before MTBs were called MTBs, they were known as “Klunkers.”
It’s a message that resonates with mountain trail lovers: "I want to be klunking, avoiding the concrete, the police, and the cars."
If your car has a bike rack, you should definitely put this on it!
This is also made in the USA.
Patches & Pins
Lastly, let's introduce the patches and pins.
Lapel Pin – Radavist Jackal / Vulture
These lapel pin styles are perfect for bags or cotton outerwear.
Use the pin on the back to attach it.
Desert Rat Patches
These are iron-on patches that can be attached to fabric. Sold in a set of two.
Patch – Shred Lightly
A roadrunner-motif patch. Once I brought them in, they sold out on the main site haha.
Patch – Metal Bikes for Metal People
This is also a soulful cry from John—a serious patch.
I assume the background of the photo is a metal album cover, but I know nothing about metal, so I have no idea.
Someone please decode this for me.
Those are the items we brought in this time. I’m hoping to do various things with them this year, and I plan to stock their merch intermittently.
To all the The Radavist fans in Japan, stay tuned!
You can see the products introduced here as a collection at the link below!
Hi John,
We really should have taken our own photos, but I wanted to introduce it in Japan as quickly as possible, so I went ahead and used the ones from your site. Sorry about that, and thank you so much!
