The Rodeo Labs Journal | Rodeo Adventure Labs

Flaanimal 5.0 / Redneck Racing Green Build

One of the first Flaanimal 5.0 Cerakote builds was this beautiful Redneck Racing Green bike with matching Cerakoted Hanjo fenders. It cuts a lovely figure and will no doubt perform admirably both commuting and out riding gravel.

This Flaanimal was built with a GRX 800 series 1x drivetrain and a Praxis Zayante Carbon crankset. This setup should perform reliably for untold thousands of miles in all conditions.

The T47 bottom bracket with inboard bearings is incredibly versatile for running almost any spindle type while retaining the security of a threaded bottom bracket interface.

Flaanimal uses a removable fender bridge design allowing for maximum adjustability when fitting and for clean lines when a fender or rack are not installed.

The carbon seat tube on 5.0 helped us remove static weight from the frameset while retaining strength in a non-stressed area. It also pairs quite nicely with a carbon seat post!

Cerakote coating replaces liquid paint on our 5.0 frames. It offers both lighter coating weight and class leading abrasion and wear resistance. All Flaanimal 5.0 frames are Cerakoted in Denver, Colorado.

5.0

Rodeo Podcast EP4: Rodeo Adventure Posse

Rodeo Labs and friends sit down with the Rodeo Adventure Posse (Kimberly Nuffer and Kiya Kelly) and hear their origin story of how they created a space for women to empower other women regardless of what bike or kit you are wearing.

Podcast Rodeo Adventure Posse

The Grandest Tour: A Class in Productive Loneliness

Loneliness is such a fickle thing.

For what seems like an overwhelming majority of our population, loneliness is a wasteful feeling. Loneliness is mental destitution; a dead-end street on the front stoop of depression, anxiety, and even death. All around the world, millions face these dead-end streets, and all too many never escape. Over the last year I have had my fair share of trips down that path. There have been the soggy winter rides, the classic case of college isolation, the solo Valentine’s Day dinner, and, of course, the never-ending quarantine in a no-stoplight town.

Rodeo Podcast EP3: Jones Pass / Logan Jones Wilkins

On the third episode of the Rodeo Podcast we first gather around to talk about big mountain adventures aboard drop bar bikes. Our recent ride up Jones Pass is a perfect case study of what this sort of riding is like so we use it as the main talking point. Should drop bar adventure bikes be up on these roads and trails that are typically the domain of the traditional mountain bike? How do we kit out our bikes for rides like this? Should you even attempt this sort of route? Is any of this any fun?

Jones Pass Sponsorship

That’s Wack!

Not a day goes by, Dear Reader, when I’m not asked the question:

“What’s the deal with wack?”

I’m sorry, I meant “wax”, not “wack.” How wack. You and I are going to engage in a one sided discussion about a trending topic in the cycling world: paraffin based wax in lieu of conventional chain lube.

Wax Ain’t Wack

No matter how you feel about the topic (wax aside): you should clean and lube your chain regularly. WD-40 is not a lubricant (it’s for cleaning things, though they do now make bike lube). The cacophony of poorly lubed chains that echo off the walls of the Cherry Creek bike path is almost as bad as fingernails across a blackboard.

If you are new to cycling, perhaps “progeny of the pandemic,” I’m glad you’re here!

When I first got into bikes, of my own accord, a new generation of “dry” (wax) based lubes flooded the market and were as popular as slap bracelets and interchangeable parts. As a punk teenager, me and some guys from school… wait, that is “Summer of 69” not the “Summer of 99.” Apologies.

lubrication maintenance wax

Rodeo Labs Podcast EP.2: The Corral

For the second episode of the Rodeo Labs Podcast we had a little huddle and talked about what’s been going on lately here at The Lab. One of our goals with this podcast is to give a bit of an unscripted peek behind the curtain and show more of the behind the scenes of what we do.

Podcast RDO LAB

8 Moves to Stay Strong in the Saddle

Curtis Hall is the Co-Founder and Head Coach at BAREfit Adventure Training in Louisville, Ky. He works with adventure athletes and enthusiasts to help them not only perform higher but also more sustainably. Www.barefitlife.com @barefit.life @capt.curtis

With the roads more open and my gym closed, I’ve been riding more, lifting less and finding all the kinks in my armor. My lower back”s a little achy, my hip flexors are tight, that spot right behind my knee is wanting to lock up and some old shoulder injuries are starting to talk to me again. These kinks usually stay below the surface thanks to my normal coaching/training schedule, but thanks to activities shifting, I’ve had to get creative in my daily movements to keep these issues at bay and have worked the following exercises into my daily regime to stay strong for my outdoor cycling adventures.

Core Strength Stretches

Victor’s 5.0 / GRX 800 2x

It’s been quite a marathon over these last few weeks getting initial Flaanimal 5.0 framesets landed, built, coated, and shipped. We’re still in the heat of it as we speak. This GRX 800 2x build shipped out today and we had enough time to grab some photos before it did.

Adventure Bike GRX