The Radavist

Speedvagen’s Family Racing has some heavy hitters on its roster, including the forever smiling Laura Winberry. Check out this video profiling her as she takes on racing in the Pacific Northwest.

Stanley is an American staple when it comes to keeping warm beverages warm and with the oncoming winter months bringing along ‘cross season, why not up your Thermos game? Painted to match the new Speedvagen Fall Japan kit, these were designed by long-time Speedvagen friend Masashi Ichifuru (Ichico) and painted right here at The Vanilla Workshop.

Specifications:
-Stainless steel inside
-Powder coated exterior
-17 fl. ounces

In stock now for $54 at Speedvagen.

Speedvagen and Leave it on the Road have once again teamed up for a charity ride down the PCH. They’ll be riding from Portland to Los Angeles in 12 days. This year, they’ll be raising money for City of Hope’s cancer fighting efforts. To help support LIOTR, Speedvagen once again made custom road bikes for the program leader Michael Tabtabai and six new riders, all of which ride for the Fireflies. You can follow them on their journey on Instagram.

These new bikes are beyond gorgeous, so check out some more of Bob Huff‘s photos below and if you’d like to order one of these special edition frames, holler at Speedvagen.

Without a doubt, the most polarizing bike of the year on the site (thus far) is the Speedvagen Urban Racer. A veritable atavist catalyst, this two-speed internal coaster brake bike is meant to keep you on your toes and out of the saddle the second you throw a leg over it.

Its one caveat is the coaster brake. Fun for around town for sure, but I found after prolonged use, especially in the hot hot hot summer months, once it’s cookin your ability to brake safely is jeopardized. Granted, that’s the fun of it, right? Sure but last month I put on a Paul Klamper disc brake as a bit of added protection. Luckily, since Speedvagen uses an ENVE ‘cross fork on the bike, it was an easy install.

So far, so good and it’s still one of the most fun bikes I’ve ridden… Now it’s just a bit safer.

Photos by Andy White

Melbourne is a special place for me, with its unique riding and exceptional local cyclists. Recently, the Vanilla Workshop and Speedvagen took to the road, er air, to hop Down Under for an Australian Fit Tour in Sydney and Melbourne. Behind the lens in the latter was Andy White from FYXO who captured some great moments from Sacha and company’s time at Shifter Bikes and on the streets.

See more at FYXO!

On August 24th – 30th, the Speedvagen Fit Tour is headed to Australia with rides, parties, and most importantly fit​ting​ sessions​​ with Sacha White, owner and lead builder at The Vanilla Workshop. For the Sydney stop, Speedvagen will be partnering with the Rapha Cycle Club and Shifter Bikes in Melbourne.

To schedule a fit for your own Speedvagen with Sacha White in Australia contact Speedvagen.

RSVP for our Sydney Ride with the Rapha Cycle Club (Aug 29th).

RSVP For our reception with the Rapha Cycle Club (Evening Aug 29th).

Hey Aussies! Get ready, the 2015 Speedvagen Australia Fit Tour is heading your way!

“Sacha White and The Vanilla Workshop are preparing to take off on the second leg of the Speedvagen Fit Tour. This trip takes Speedvagen to Australia, specifically Sydney and Melbourne. In addition to fitting new Speedvagen customers, there will be rides in each city as well as evening events open to the public. Fresh off the success of the California Fit Tour, extending the program is a natural progression, reaching customers that would normally not make it to Portland for a personal fitting with Sacha.

There are limited spots available, as each fit takes 2-3 hours. Spending this much time working with each customer allows Sacha to understand each rider’s unique strengths, needs, and limitations. The end result is your dream bike, completely tuned to your riding style. Learn more about the Australia Fit Tour or schedule a fit session with Sacha here.”

Sydney Dates: August 24th – 30th at the Rapha Cycle Club
Melbourne Dates: Sept 1st – 6th at Shifter Bikes

Photos by Bob Huff

Olive drab will never jump the shark, especially when there’s a bit of a creative spin on this timeless color. The new 2015 Speedvagen Surprise Me! paint is exceptional. See more of Bob Huff‘s photos at the Vanilla Workshop Flickr.

I once made a comment about having too many olive drab bikes, to which a good friend replied “better than too many purple bikes…” Touché.

Tools of the trade:
Leica M7
Zeiss 35mm f2
Portra 400

If there was ever to be a gilded knight in the Speedvagen guard, it would have to be the Urban Racer. This bike was the most polarizing figure in the small framebuilding community that I can remember. I will say however, over the past few weeks, I’ve seen a number of people take the Urban Racer platform as inspiration to build their own budget versions. When’s the last time you can recall a small side project like the UR have an effect like that?

After the initial release, Sacha and the folks at Speedvagen made this insane gilded Urban Racer for a client and the photos pop like the Vegas skyline.

Sure, this bike isn’t for everyone, but can all appreciate something as insane as this, right? And it’s made by hand in Portland, Oregon. Check out more photos at the Speedvagen Flickr.

Quite simply put:

“The Urban Racer is the latest offering in the Speedvagen line, lightweight with nimble handling and dialed race fit geometry. Designed as a super commuter, getting you around town as fast as possible. Minimal, modern and shred ready, the Urban Racer is the answer for the discerning cyclist who wants to go fast and take chances in the city.”

Great video Field Theory Pictures!

I’ve gotten a lot of emails regarding this bike. We’re dialing in some details and you can expect a thorough review and gallery in the next few weeks… For now, poke around on the Vanilla Workshop Instagram and the #UrbanRacer hashtag for more teasers.