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Prior to Sunday’s announcement here on the Radavist about Crust Bikes taking a breather to reorganize, I set up a date to shoot Kris’ Evasion Lite. Kris had just picked his build up from Sincere Cycles where Bailey spent time selecting the right components for his budget, while not skimping on functionality…
If you’ve been to the Crust Bikes website over the past few days, you probably noticed a message that reads:
“Thanks for the six years of support, it has been a ride. Closed until further notice.”
Now, this set the internet into a frenzy. How could the bike company that has been seemingly killing it for those past six years suddenly fold? Well, they didn’t fold. I was waiting on a returned text message from Matt all weekend before I posted anything and my suspicions turned out to be true.
This website helped launch Crust Bikes. I met Matt in Austin back in 2015 and shot his personal prototype 26+ Evasion. At that time, I was really blown away at how thoughtful everything about the OG Evasion was. I knew Matt was onto something. The brand launched right when the adventure/gravel/touring stuff took off. As expected, Crust Bikes did blow up! Everyone at Crust has been moving so fast that they haven’t had time to figure out what sustainable growth looked like.
Then Covid hit and international supply chains were halted. Fast forward to today, Crust’s stock of frames is low, and thus, Matt’s emails have gone through the roof. While they’re waiting on new frames to be delivered in 2021, Matt and Cheech, and the entire team are using this downtime to restructure their business, rebuild their website, and figure out how to grow and operate more sustainably.
It sucks to suddenly see their site with that message but please just know, they’re not going anywhere. They all just need some time off and some space. Please respect this moment in time and don’t reach out to them. Let them work and recover in peace. If you want to pour out some emotion in the comments here and just let them know how much Crust Bikes means to you, you’re totally free to do that, just don’t send Matt another email. ;-)
xo
Crust Bikes and RonsBikes.com have a fundraising raffle going on to benefit families separated and detained at the Southern Border. All you have to do is donate what you can to ActBlue and email your receipt to RonsBikesRaffle@gmail.com to enter the raffle.
This raffle will end at 7pm EST on December 7th.
Thanks to:
@velocityusa @paulcomponent @whiteind @ultradynamico and @brooksengland
for pitching in parts for the build.
The third chapter of the Crust Bikes saga by videographer Tin is here. Enjoy this one!
To commemorate the release of their Breakaway Single Speed Lightning Bolt frames, Crust Bikes made this video showcasing the bike and its details.
Cheech, founder of Casa Verde and partner with Matt at Crust Bikes reflects where she’s going in her life…
We posted the latest from Crust Bikes and videographer Tin in our Reportage today but here it is in Radar for your easy viewing pleasure…
Sometime back in late February the event calendar for Team Brooks Cool Breeze looked like any stadium tour you’d expect for such a glamorous gaggle of athletes. Grav’l, touring, MTB, hang gliding, street luging…. you name it, we were gonna do it. Times were fast, relaxing, and exciting, but little did we know that even lifestyle celebrity “athletes” would have little fun in the months to come.
New color, cantilever posts, and QR.
The Romanceur might be one of Crust Bikes’ most popular models and this new update is a massive throwback. In an era of disc brakes, the new Romanceur goes with cantilever studs, where most bikes use thru-axles, it has gone QR. People loved the original Romanceur for its modern updates on a very classic silhouette and for those who want a modern frame with cantilever studs, QR axles, and a 1″ steerer… this new Romanceur is for you.
New color, disc brakes and thru-axles.
You can still order the original Romanceur with disc brakes or this new model with throwback specs. The pre-order is open at Crust Bikes right now!
Want some build inspiration? We listed it below in the Related columns…
Our friends at Crust Bikes and Casa Verde are throwing a raffle with a good cause! Here are the details:
In celebration and appreciation of the Indigenous People who have lived in harmony with Pachamama for thousands of years and continue to fight for her well being, we have organized a small raffle to help support them.
We will be raffling a Crust X @therealcasaverde assorted goodies package. Winner will receive:
1. Cheypie Skort (XS-XL)
2. An EXCLUSIVE Crust prototype handlebar.
3. Mullet Cap (color of your choice)
4. Casa Verde tote bag
5. Shreddie The Eagle Musette Bag
6. “I’m fucking tired” keychain.
To enter the raffle please donate $10 to one of the following organizations/funds:
– Help Healers in the Amazon
– Tewa Women United
– Change The Record
Screenshot your donation and send it to info@crustbikes.com with the subject DONATION. If you donate $10 to each of the three organizations your name will be thrown in three times. The raffle will end next Monday October 19. Apart from donations, I urge you to take time to research and recognize the history of Indigenous People, the systematic oppression they are currently experiencing, and how the land they belong to is being taken for a pipeline, mining, logging, and industrialized meat.
Today’s Readers’ Rides features Casey from Campandgoslow‘s Crust Evasion with words by Casey and photos by Sarah Lillegard…
The Great Basin region of the western US stretches from the Sierra Nevada mountains to the Wasatch range, and from the Columbia Plateau all the way down to the Mojave Desert. This expansive, high elevation desert has a nickname, the Sagebrush Sea, and I live right on the beach. I’m tucked away in a rural area at the northern end of the Eastern Sierra.
This is the first in a series of videos by videographer Tin, showcasing the vibes and intent of a little brand called Crust Bikes.
Our friends at Crust Bikes, Rons Bikes, and Ultradynamico have officially sponsored Leo Rodgers to their Factory PRO Recreation TEAM for 2021. Check out the full press-release below!
This week’s Readers’ Rides photos are so sharp, we decided to share it as a full gallery. Hanson Little is an ex-pro BMX shredder and the hands behind Dark Realm Cycling, a brand that operates alongside his partner Vanessa’s Shop Realm. These two put out exceptional bags from their Austin, TX home. We’re featuring Hanson’s Crust Bikes Evasion Lite, a less-burly, lighter Evasion. This stripped-back version is quite the frame! Let’s look at it in detail below.
Last summer I was lucky enough to make my pilgrimage to Nutmeg Country while on a work trip to NYC. While getting a tour of Benedict’s “childhood home”, he showed me the bike pile in his basement. He looked at me and said, “Spencer, you need something classy, pick whichever frame you want.” Of course I picked the rusted Romanceür prototype…
When it was released, the Crust Bikes Evasion was a true to form game changer for production bikes but even then, some games should be changed up a bit. Matt from Crust Bikes has been leaking this project for a while. A stripped-down, lighter-ish, yet just as capable Evasion, dubbed the Evasion Lite.
Here is the take-away:
– Straight 1,1/8th Crust carbon fork with internal dynamo routing and brake cable routing. 100mm X 12mm.
– Flat mount front and rear.
– Fixed 142mm X 12mm rear dropouts. No rocker dropouts on this one, in efforts to shave weight.
– Integrated headset cups.
– All sizes up to the Large have 28.6 D.T and TT, the Large and Xtra-Large have a 28.6 TT and a 31.8 DT. All sizes are heat treated CR-MO
– The steel plate on the drive side has been axed, you guessed it, save weight. However by doing this it slightly minimizes the max tire clearance.
You can see more information regarding tire size and other tidbits at Crust Bikes.
Data-driven designers and developers will appreciate this chart, in which the author, Hobocross helps direct you to see which Crust Bikes model is right for you. Now, we’re not gonna post the whole thing, so head to their Instagram account, give them a follow and share this. It’s genius!
Behold, a timeless diamond in the crust. The “cantibolt” is the “sign a waiver” lightest tubed-cantilever-1” threaded offering from Crust Bikes; the first name in Boastfully Poor Business Decisions Index Weekly. A riff on the Jan Mule that so famously/infamously dons just about every other page of Bicycle Quarterly; the Crust version has coincidentally received praise from its muse… the sultan of supple; the prince of planing himself… Jan Heine uuuuuuvvv Bicycle Quarterly.