The Radavist

If you want a sneak peek at Ronnie’s ALUMAX gravel bike he brought to MADE last year, check out this build video!

Specialized‘s last two bike releases have been made of aluminum. Earlier this month, the brand announced its all-new Crux DSW, and today, its XC machine, the Chisel DSW, was also refreshed with an aluminum chassis. Both bikes are lightweight, race-oriented, and metal. Needless to say, we took note…

Stormchaser is Salsa‘s gravel bike built for adverse conditions. Choose the all-new geared suspension version for comfort and control on jarring roads or the single-speed setup for added durability when the dirt turns to mud. Let’s check out the new Stormchaser offerings below…

Inspired by the work of Charlie Cunningham and other cult classic aluminum steeds, the Ron’s Bikes Aluminus Maximus gravel bike ($2,000 frameset) is the anti-carbon propaganda demigod we need from small-batch bicycle production. These bikes are made in the USA by Frank the Welder and have been selling like hot cakes over the past several months, so when it came time to list them on RonsBikes.com, Arya and Ronnie only had sizes 51 cm and 60 cm left. So if you have short legs or long legs, they’ve gotcha covered.

We’d like to remind everyone that Arya and Ronnie lost their factory and means of primary income last year and it’s been hard on the brand. So if you have any free money and would like to see Ron’s Bikes grow, check out their in-stock-today items and throw them some love.

Made from triple-butted aero airplane 6061 aluminum and with a frameset weight of only 1.8 kg, or 3.9 lbs, the new 8bar KRONPRINZ Aluminium V3 road bike is a lightweight and agile drop bar bike. Designed with fully-integrated internal routing for a sleek aesthetic, the KRONPRINZ also clears a 32 mm tire, allowing for hardpack gravel riding. See more at 8Bar Bikes.

Finding affordable bikes that cost under and around $2000 can be challenging, so we compiled a list with a twist… We’re big fans of metal over here. Metal gravel bikes can be superior to their carbon cousins in many ways, especially if you’re planning on strapping bags to them and taking them out on longer rides, overnighters, and tours.

We get requests all day long for more affordable bikes, and following up with our 2024 Under and Around $2000 Hardtails article, we present our Metal Gravel Bikes Under and Around $2000 post, so let’s get to it!

Our Radar Roundup compiles products and videos from the ‘net in an easy-to-digest format. Read on below for today’s findings…

State Bicycle Co offered up a sneak peek at its new Undefeated Road bike with a fancy tie-dye and pearl paint job. These new framesets have been re-engineered with Y9 aluminum which is 6061 aluminum with added titanium, resulting in a new alloy composition that allows for the thinnest possible wall thickness to be used. And yes, while the new bikes look great, we’re really excited to see those new shirts hit the market too! Check out the new Undefeated Road disc road and track bikes and the “It’s Just Bikes” shirts at State.

The BMC URS AL ONE is the most affordable in the URS line at $2,599, which saves hundreds over the URS ONE carbon chassis model ($2,999). What’s interesting about the two models is the aluminum URS has a slightly different geometry, due to the tubing used and the URS AL ONE has a size XS available. Check out all the details at BMC.

Today I went over to Foes Racing USA to pick up a demo bike and to check out their operations. Brent has been making MTB frames from aluminum in Pasadena since the early 90’s, so it was an honor to see him at work. I’m still going through all the photos from today, but expect more shortly!

Right now, I’ll leave you with this portrait of the man himself at work.