Reportage

Jay From You Bet! Bike Shop’s Falconer Cycles Touring Bike is Pretty in Pink

Last month, John and Cari hung out in Nevada City for a few days. While there, John documented a few of Jay from You Bet!’s bikes, including this stunning Falconer Cycles touring bike that is very pretty in pink…

When I look back at all the Falconer Cycles I’ve documented, it’s always the touring bikes that stand out to me. Back in 2014, I documented Chris McNally’s Falconer at the Whiskey Off-Road, then in 2015, I shot Gabe from Box Dog Bikes’ Falconer tourer, and in 2019, Amanda’s bike all loaded up for the AZT. Each of these frames showcase Cameron Falconer’s impeccable ability to design a bike that’s meant to take a load up into the mountains.

Jay’s bike, though, very well might be the crème de la crème of this genre, and I think it’s the color that did it for me.

Last year, after the Made Bike Show, I stayed with Jay and his wife Carrie for a few days to decompress before the long drive home. He had just gotten the Falconer rolling but we decided to wait for his custom racks that Cameron Falconer was going to make for it. “Cam is making you racks?!” I asked enthusiastically.

When a builder offers to make racks, it’s usually a win for the customer but a loss for the builder. Cam summed it up perfectly in a text exchange:

“I would say more that it’s just really hard to charge what they should cost. Definitely find them enjoyable, but hard to justify monetarily.”

Bending tubing, figuring out fitment, clearances, and welding all stack up. Suddenly, something a client thinks is worth $150 ends up being a $500 item when everything is added up. Want front and rear racks? Well that can be $1000!

Perhaps that’s why companies like the Bay Area made Pass and Stow racks ($295) and Taiwanese-made Tumbleweed racks ($150) have taken off with their racks over the past several years.

With Jay’s bike, the racks make it look all the more intentional. A dedicated touring rig will handle better than strapping bikepacking racing bags onto your gravel bike or hardtail.

Many thanks to Erik Hillard for documenting the new Bags by Bird panniers and frame bag that arrived after my visit!

Racks allow you to keep the weight lower and more secure, especially when utilizing off-road panniers like the ones Bags by Bird made for Jay.

Undoubtedly, rigging a bike at its inception with touring accoutrements makes it all possible. When it comes to considerate designs and executions, Cameron Falconer knows how to build one sexy fucking bike. For me, it pops, and that’s thanks to the pink powder coat!

I can’t wait to see it develop a patina over the years from the You Bet! camping trips that go down throughout the summer. The last rollout had over eighty people!

Follow California Travis and Kelsey for the next bike camping trip on July 19th – 20th!

Many thanks to Jay and his wife, Carrie, for the hospitality, to You Bet! for being such devoted supporters of The Radavist, and to Cameron Falconer for creating such stunning bikes.

Each and every one is a literal joy to document. Just look at that thing! It’s one stunning, Beautiful Bicycle.

2025 pricing: Falconer Cycles custom frames start at $2,800. Steel forks are $550, and matching front and rear racks are $1,000. Prices include powder coat.

Geo Specs:

  • HTA 67º
  • STA 74º
  • Eff TT 650 mm
  • Chainstay 450 mm
  • BB Drop 70 mm

Build Spec:

If you live in the Nevada City area and want to work on a dialed custom build, holler at You Bet! and if you’d like a bike like this, check out more at Falconer Cycles!