What's your Rivendell story?

[lungimsam]

So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get your first Rivendell bike?

[Andy Smitty Schmidt]

I saw a specialized mtn bike with alba bars and was so enamored by the beautiful curves of the bars that I asked about them. --Andy 

[Allingham II, Thomas J]

Saw a picture of a Homer on Peter White's site -- love at first sight.

---

From: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com [mailto:rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Andy Smitty Schmidt
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 11:22 AM
To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Re: What's your Rivendell story?

I saw a specialized mtn bike with alba bars and was so enamored by the beautiful curves of the bars that I asked about them. --Andy 

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:06:10 AM UTC-7, lungimsam wrote:

So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get your first Rivendell bike?

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[PATRICK MOORE]

1992: saw, understood, and bought a 1991 (? Cream colored, calipers)
model on remainder at a LBS. Liked it a lot (hot rodded it with
lightweight wheels, parts and end-of-drop-bar-hooks gripshifts!).

Signed up for the original boblist -- mailing only at that time, I
think. Forget member #.

Because of BOB mailing list, got mailer from Grant about new Rivendell
venture. Followed it.

Late 1994: asked Grant to make me a road bike that handled better than
the XO-1. He said, "Oh, it will."

Early 1995, received first 559 road custom, Waterford built of tout
753 (fork 531) built around current All Rounder geometry tweaked for
road use: 73* parallel, shorter front-center, road lugs and tubing,
new road fork.

Rode it and liked it a lot, 'cept for the paint which flaked easily.

1998: had built and ridden two fixies and decided I wanted a really
nice one. Talked to Grant about a similar custom but fixed. Grant
said, "If you really know what you are doing, I'll go ahead."

April 1999: received Joe Starck-built 559/571 gofast custom with no
braze-ons except dt bottle cage braze ons; had it built up with nice
parts including 571 Revolution wheels on ME14As, by Dick Hallet's
gang.

2002: decided that I wanted a derailleur gofast equivalent. Talked to
Grant, told him it should be identical except for derailleur hangar,
horizontals and excessively customized *removable* left-side dt
shifter boss.

March, 2003: Curt came through and I built it up with lightweight
parts including a 1X10 Am Classic 11-23 cassette with 8-sp Dura Ace
der pulled by Retrofrictions.

Rode it a lot until my tastes changed to commuting and fixed gears.

Circa 2006: Dave Porter converted the Curt to 1010s with der hangar
sliced off, removed the dt shifter boss/threaded braze-on, and moved
the brake bridge to accomodate the movement of a fixed wheel. Built it
up with rack, fenders, dynamo, lights and used it to commute 15 miles
one way to work.

2012: still ride mostly the '99 and the '03/'06.

2010 (?): bought Riv's floor model 56 cm Sam, rode for six months,
didn't like loaded handling, sold and bought used Fargo which is bee's
knees.

2012: Covet Hunq, Roadeo, old Rambouillet, but no cash.

On Tue, Aug 21, 2012 at 9:06 AM, lungimsam <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get
> your first Rivendell bike?
>

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
> To view this discussion on the web visit

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> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.
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> rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
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"When in Rome, do as they done in Milledgeville."

Flannery O'Connor

-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
-------------------------

[Eric Norris]

I knew of Rivendell long before I bought my first Riv bicycle, but my first direct experience was purchasing a Quickbeam for the 2006 Big Fix cross-country fixed gear ride. I was looking for a bike that would be comfortable for multiple long days in the saddle (1,760 miles from California to Kansas in 14 days), and the Quickbeam exceeded my expectations. We (the bike and I) went on to ride Paris-Brest-Paris in 2007, and many brevets, centuries, and double centuries. It's a marvelous bike that never fails to draw appreciative comments from other riders.

--Eric N

On Aug 21, 2012, at 8:06 AM, lungimsam <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:

So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get your first Rivendell bike?

--

[Jim M.]

I've moved to Walnut Creek before RBW was born. I used to get the BOB Gazettes, and then I started getting the first Riv catalogs. I had plenty of lugged steel bikes, but I liked what Grant was trying to do, and I bought plenty of those discontinued/"obsolete" parts that filled the early catalogs. When I started working across the street from the current RBW, I would stop by to chat, try the occasional bike, or buy parts. When the Quickbeam came along, though, I just had to have one. And when they were down to the last few Legolas', I bought one of those. And then there was the returned Hilborne hanging there for a while that I got for a good price. I still buy parts and clothes (love the MUSA shirts and knickers) but I'm good on bikes, for now.

 

happy trails

jim m

[Joe Bernard]

I love this thread. I discovered bicycling-as-an-adult and Bridgestone about the same time. Picked up the '92 catalogue and fell in love with the whole unracer/just ride vibe. Joined BOB just as it was closing, which got me a Reader in the mail.

 

My first Rivendell was a Romulus in '03, which I rode until moving into Recumbent World in '07. After about 5 years of that I picked up a Hilsen, which was a wonderful bike, but one size too big for me..I need more stand-over in my old age. I have several Bstones and couple other uprights in various stages of Riv-ism, and a recumbent trike now. I expect to be a Rivendell owner again eventually..probably the Bosco bike if it makes it to production.

 

Joe Bernard

Vallejo, CA.

 

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:35:57 AM UTC-7, Eric Norris wrote:

[Tim McNamara]

On Aug 21, 2012, at 10:06 AM, lungimsam wrote:

> So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get your first Rivendell bike?

Bridgestone ads in VeloNews were my first introduction to Grant, particularly one ad (which I think was in an April 1 issue) in which the ad talked about a special run of bikes made by some (mythical) old frame builder, yadda yadda yadda- sort of along the lines of the "blind soigneur" stories. It was hilarious because a lot of people took it seriously.

Oh wait: THIS ad:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/images/bstoneresurrectionad.jpg

Thank you, Sheldon!



Sigh.



God I miss Sheldon....


Anyway, I joined BOB and bought my wife a 1993 XO-1 for an engagement/wedding present (I have a cool wife. Much cooler than me). Because of that we were on the mailing list when Rivendell started. I bought my All-Rounder in 1996 and it is still my main bike and has been through many iterations. It currently looks like an old randonneuse. My wife's XO-1 was tragically destroyed when it was run over while locked to a sign in front of her office, which was devastating to her. I replaced it with a Heron Road (full Sun Tour Superbe) that I bought and built up in secret and had a neighbor sneak into the house on Christmas Eve while we were out. Best surprise and best present I have ever pulled off. And what a great bike.

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

[mikel...@juno.com]

my buddy and i originally wanted to get Bike Fridays for touring. then realized the small wheels were not good for touring/light trails. he bought a new Trek 520 and i had already had a 1984 Cannondale tourer, this was about 2005

as we checked out touring websites we slowly realized our bikes were functional but ugly....especially the 520. my buddy was a long-time Bridgestone bike/catalog fan then turned me onto Rivendell.  it was then we saw how beauty and function can be rolled into one.

first, my buddy bought a Heron Randonneur from Saturday Cycles in Utah, a great shop. i still had my Cannondale because i thought the Riv. prices were a bit much...not so much anymore

fast forward to 2012 and my stable consists of 3 Rivs (Ram, Ram, Atlantis) and 2 Herons (Road, Touring). my buddy has since added a Saluki with 650b tires. i still keep a couple 1980's Japanese road bikes in service but the Riv. kool aid has been drunk, digested and there's always a cold pitcher of it in the fridge

mike goldman

warwick,r.i.

____________________________________________________________
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The Stunning Results of Her Wrinkle Trick Has Botox Doctors Worried
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[islaysteve]

I rediscovered bicycling in late 1994 and bought my first modern road bike in early 1995.  It was actually lugged steel, a Performance bike.  I happily rode it for a few years, training for and riding my first Century.  But I was under the go-fast, weight-weeny spell and upgraded to a titanium frame when I got the chance.  Through the years, I was on the bicycle forums and websites more often than I was on the bike.  But I did put quite a few miles on the Ti bike, and I still love it.  I knew about Rivendell, but thought they were terribly expensive.  I also remember pricing a Heron when I was shopping early-on, and I couldn't afford it.

After being essentially off the bike for several years, I started tinkering and modifying my steel frame for my daughter, who had become a pretty serious cyclist.  She was delighted with the result.  In the course of looking for parts for her bike, I became reacquainted with RBW and also Velo Orange, which is local to me.  And that in turn lead to some riding on my own, some modding of the titanium bike, and lots of window shopping at the RBW site and others. 

Late in 2010 I got the lust for a Riv, specifically a Sam.  It was still pushing the budget me, even though I had a little more leeway than I had in 1994.  I didn't end up getting a Sam, but saw a 51 Bleriot on eBay and had to bid for it.  Got into a rather furious bidding war at the end (much to the delight of the seller, I'm sure), and ended up winning it, for a bit more than I had hoped.  I was thrilled, to say the least. I delighted in building it up with a mix of my road STI drivetrain parts, some lightly used Rivish parts that I already had, and new parts from Riv and Velo Orange.  I am trying to become worthy of this bike.  Cheers, Steve

[Jim Cloud]

I picked up some of the last few years of the Bridgestone catalogs
(1992, 1993, 1994) for which Grant Petersen lavished much effort and
creativity. A bit later, I began reading about the development of the
Rivendell bicycles (from around 1994, after Bridgestone withdrew from
the U.S. market) in the Bicycle Guide magazines of the period. At
some point, I subscribed to Grant's Rivendell Reader from the first
copy (green cover, "never again") and then ordered a Rivendell Road
Standard bike in 1996. I had the bike painted a custom color, "Light
Saddle Metallic", that was one of the colors available for the first
generation Waterford era Schwinn Paramounts, introduced in 1981. I
also had the frame pin striped (this was all done at the Waterford
Wisconsin bike company). With some difficulty (I had to get Grant to
intervene) I was able to get them to paint match a Silca frame pump.

Since that time I've kept up with Rivendell's various activities with
the Rivendell Reader, catalogs and the on-line website. Bought lots
of "stuff" from Riv over the years.

Rivendell and Grant Petersen have really done much for the bike
industry, he's one of a kind.

Jim Cloud
Tucson, AZ

[Manuel Acosta]

I used to work at Baskin Robbins for 8 years. About every other Saturday my buddy Will would come by on his bike to get a scoop of ice cream. Intrigued that he biked everywhere I figured I needed a hobby for the summer so I asked him one Saturday where would be a good place to buy a bike. He suggested Cycles of Change ( Now it's called Changing Gears) a non-profit bike shop ran to give under privileged youth job experience working on used bikes. At first I wanted to just buy a mountain bike but because of the rarity of them getting a entry level road bike my size my buddy Will was animate about me getting that bike. I figure it would be an investment if I bought something nice now instead of paying more latter. So the flood gates were open. Biking to school and work was the norm. I never once thought that what I was riding was not meant for commuting or that I put my life in danger riding on a carbon fork and spokeless wheels. Ignorance was bliss in my terms. Eventually one of the rides that I did with Will and the lovely folks of Changing Gears ended up at Rivendell. Not really understanding what the hype was all about I never understood how magical Rivendell was until my first time there. Short description of that particular ride can be found here.

Typically pictures proved that my photography has grown. ( not by much)

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjoVF9Cc

After that trip and many trips after that I was Rivendell crazy. But on my meager college budget I didn't have the funds for a new bike. So I did what many of guys did I scourged the interweb for a use Rivendell bike in my price range. And so thats how I met Rene on craigslist. Originally I was planning to buy his Italian Frame but after some talking I found that we both had very similar ideals when it came to biking, despite our huge age gap. He so happened to have a frame he was planning to build up but never got to over the years. After many months of begging he finally sold the frame to me. I used my first paycheck from my first real job to buy my first Rivendell bike my Bleriot.

Pictures proved I built up the first one.

http://flic.kr/s/aHsjoJjbFx

After buying the Bleriot from Rene he suggested going on this list to find parts. And I guess the rest is history.  

-Manny "So many stories) Acosta

[danmc]

Way back in the day I convinced my parents that a road bike was what I needed and they fronted me the $ so I could go to REI in Berkeley to pick something out. Spent a fair amount of time there chatting with familiar sales guys and ended up with a Peugeot. Actually memory is fuzzy from the late 70's high school era so it might have been a Gitane. Or something else. But a nice road bike no matter the label. Had been riding the typical Schwinn banana seat bikes until that point.

Anyway, ended up going to college in Davis and really getting into cycling. Fair number of centuries and double Cs. Then lost interest until 1994 when I wandered into the local bike shop thinking about getting a mountain bike. Wanted to see what the fuss was about. Instead took an '93 XO-1 out for a spin and was blown away by the bike. Read the Bridgestone catalogs and put the pieces together that Grant had been the main person helping me with my first real bike purchase. Could not make the money work so ended up buying an XO-4 as I would be doing more road than trail riding. Still have that bike. Still fairly stock. About to become more Riv-ish with Albas and some racks. It is a great bike.

Since buying the XO-4 I watched Riv but time was not right for another bike. In the last few years though I have added a few bikes. Now have a Ram and a Bomba. My wife recently got a Betty. She loves that bike. Insists on keeping it in the living room.

Always a great experience dealing with Riv and Grant.

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:06:10 AM UTC-7, lungimsam wrote:

[Matt Beebe]

Like many folks on here (I'm guessing) the bicycle truly was my first taste of freedom in the small town where I grew up.   Hence I am a bicycle fanatic, and inevitably came to Rivendell from riding vintage bikes and BMX, and being accustomed to steel as a frame material that is reliable even if well-used, crashed or dented.   I have owned a few vintage treks (still have an '88 520 with a sky-high bb), centurions, and still have a sweet old specialized sequoia, and I had many friends who rode Surlys, IFs and Sevens.   I like lugged bikes, and gravitated to bikes like the Bombadil back when it had parallel TT and it was the only one with a 2TT in their lineup, except for the 71cm AHH, and the 650b mountain bike just seemed like an epiphany (still does).    Also the Quickbeam because it was so unique and yet so familiar at the same time- the silence and simplicity of SS/fixed combined with the quick-release shift mechanism is awesome.    I make use of that feature gladly depending on where I'm going.   The more I ride it, the more I love the way the QB rides.     Anyway the rest was history for me.   Riv has unbeatable customer service and have just done so much good for bicycling in general.    I even got to visit their HQ once at the end of a US/Canadian tour a couple of years ago.    They bought me lunch and it was awesome.

I love that when you call them up, there is a decent chance that Grant Petersen answers the phone, or that whoever answers the phone is going to be super knowledgeable and helpful.    Talking to GP or anybody from Riv about bikes is a real privilege.    How many companies are like that.  They are definitely not in the same price range as some other bikes, but with their quality and well-thought-outness, as time goes on they all prove to have been bargains.

-Matt

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 11:06:10 AM UTC-4, lungimsam wrote:

[Leslie]

Grew up on a 'ten-speed', did everything on it. Outgrew it; headed off to college, kidnapping my dad's Nishiki; discovered skinny tires and railroad track crossings didn't mesh... Ended up getting a Nishiki MTB to be my campus-commuter. Post college, used the Nishiki for everything, 'til I got lazy, didn't ride much for a decade, just an annual bike ride or so...

Forward to Spring of '09: coworkers I carpool w/ had CF road bikes, invited me along, here I go on my ol' Nishiki; realization, I need a road bike. They're pushing me towards Trek, Specialized, Fuji, Crackendales, etc; but I'm not yet decided, not excited about CF... So... I happen to wonder into my local Orvis fly shop to chat w/ my friend who's the guide there, and while he's chatting with some other folks, I turn to browse the Specialized they have in there, and then, there beside them, is something completely different... a Hilsen, a Ram, a Sam, a Bleriot, and an Atlantis...

My coworkers/riding friends, have, on many occasions, accused me of being 'eccentric'. They liked Jeeps; and I do, too, but instead, but I have old Land Rovers. They like Sierra Design tents, regularly getting new ones; but I'd stick my old Moss. I'd always pick something good, but not-as-mainstream, in their opinion.... That rack of Rivendells there at MSL, just clicked with me. The aesthetics, the colors, the versatility, the durability, it just made sense to me. I'll admit, I was initially taken back on the prices, given my last bike was a quarter of what these frames alone would run... But given the expected longevity, it seemed justifiable. That green Ram, well... hey, it matched my old Rover... And, getting 'just' the frame/fork set, made it more bearable; I could piecemeal the cost part-by-part, and got to learn something new, in building it myself. It clicked. It was 'my' perfect road bike, even if not my buddies' ideal.

And, as it goes, you can't have just one... Different bikes have different strengths, and, it made sense to have a 'brute' to go w/ my road bike... something for being able to load up, take a fatter tire... I considered an Atlantis, and a Sam, but settled on the Bomba...

Have to admit, they make a great pair. I don't ride as much as I should, or that they deserve... I'm not a commuter, I don't do high mileages. However, I enjoy both, greatly. They'll serve me well for a very long time.

I still might get an Atlantis someday; I'm wanting a fat bike (Pugsley or akin); and a cargo bike is a possibility (an Xtracycle or a Big Dummy). I can't say I need any of those, given the pair I have, and what my needs are, but they'd be fun to have. I have no need for a Legolas yet still want one a lot, too.

That covers it, methinks...

-L

[charlie]

I received a catalog from them at a Seattle bike show......heck it could have been Grant who handed it too me. I had been riding a recumbent until then but had a Bianchi race bike back in the 80's and a Nishiki 'touring' bike that I had Davidson cycles modify and paint. My wife and I also owned two of the first lugged Stumpjumpers purchased from Greenlake cycles in Seattle....so to make a long story short, I appreciated the lugged steel frame idea and the practical side of riding as I had been a bicycling commuter when it wasn't that popular to be one. In fact my first road bicycle was a Volkscycle brand that (I think a 25 inch frame but too big for me) I rode the beans out of it to high school in the 70's and a 20 mile round trip no less. I've always worked on my own bicycles and wanted something I understood and didn't like the new indexed shifting. As a guy in my 40's I had a beer gut and wanted to ride something comfortable and flexible. The narrow tires just didn't seem right for my then 280+ pounds. I purchased several old bikes and Rivized them and a Surly Trucker as I slowly worked my way to my first Rivendell which turned out to be a SimpleOne then later a Sam Hillborne. As of late I have a strong desire to downsize and simplify and have only one bicycle and I may sell every bicycle I own and buy either a Hunk or an Atlantis in my size with a generator lighting system and top components. That's probably what I will do....... soon.

  

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:06:10 AM UTC-7, lungimsam wrote:

[cyclotourist]

Great conversation! Now we need to read your story @lungisam!!!

Anyway, my parents bought my an '84 Allez while in HS. Rode it all over during HS and college. Serious, a lot of miles on that bike, but I did figure out it was a bit too small for me (a 58cm) and that it didn't quite fit the bigger tires I was being drawn to. Graduation in '94, what do I need? A mountain bike! So I stumble across B'stone JUST prior to their going out of business liquidation sale through Beverly Hills Bicycle (so what you will about them, they treated me right!). End up w/ an a '94 MB-2 and a '93 MB-6 for my wife (also a Gary Fisher HKEK, but that's an other story...). Rode those all over, Big Bear, commuting, trails, beach, whatever. And now I'm hooked. Become a BOB member, but just don't have the $$$ to pick up a blow-out XO-1. That's the one that got away you know!

Couple years go by, and I am able to get an RB-T. WOW, that was a GREAT bike! Skinny-tubed rough-stuff bike that goes anywhere. I'm passing mountain bikers on the trails both way on it. It's official, I'm now an under-biker!

Y2K and I finish grad-school and am gainfully employed for the first time. Damn, I need a bike that does it all. I'll probably never be able to do this again, so better do it right... custom Rivendell it is! A year or so later, what started out as a 29er ends up as a 700c all-rounder do it all bike.

Probably should have got an Atlantis which was just starting production around the same time.

Probably should have got vertical drop outs, but I thought this was the one bike that would do it all.

Probably should have kept it as a full-on 29er tire, but I had a MB-2 for that.

So a few compromises I designed into it that I shouldn't have, but still it ends up as the bike I hope to have as long as I know what bikes are.  And what better bike to have a virtual-shine built for!?!?!?

So that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

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--
Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

**
“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” ― Neil deGrasse Tyson.

[naw...@comcast.net]

My ageing Miyata 6-10 sport tourer that I bought new in 1982 was starting to complain a bit.  Went looking for another steel lugged frame.  Saw a Romulus in Pegasus Cycles in Danville, Ca(2003).  Asked about it and was told that it was a Rivendell, from just up the road in Walnut Creek.   Found the humble Riv HQ and bought an Atlantis.  Went through that, a Rambouillet, Quickbeam and Bleriot/Protovelo.  Now own a SimpleOne and Rodeo.  Love these bikes.

Dave Nawrocki
Fort Collins, CO

[SteveD]

Back in '2002, I was interested in a new touring/commute bike to replace my Specialized road bike and GT MTB. After doing some research on the web, Rivendell kept popping up, went to their website, and liked Grant's story and pitch about lugs and steel, and voila--I ordered my Atlantis.

-Steve
Seattle

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 8:06:10 AM UTC-7, lungimsam wrote:

[David Hays]

I got back into bicycling as I retired, bought a racy steel bike (Specialized Allez Steel) which I like and but then discovered the ECO Velo site where I first saw the Rivendell Sam Hillborne and knew what I really wanted and how I wanted to ride.

I do lament the loss of the Eco Velo site.

David

[Marc Irwin]

Beats the crap out of me!  I think I was dreaming and surfing about a custom (in the seventies, I dreamed of a Bayliss frame).  That led to a bookmark on my browser years ago, years of obsessive browsing, one decision after another, a Hunqapillar and Hilborne in the garage, traveling across country to meet like minded crazies.  Yeah, it's good.

Marc

On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 11:06:10 AM UTC-4, lungimsam wrote:

[Marc Schwartz]

The Like-Minded Crazies
(An alternate name for The Rivendell Owners Bunch)
Dat's Us!
________________________________________
From: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com [rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com] on behalf of Marc Irwin [irwi...@gmail.com]
Sent: Wednesday, August 22, 2012 2:50 PM

To: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com
Subject: [RBW] Re: What's your Rivendell story?

Beats the crap out of me! I think I was dreaming and surfing about a custom (in the seventies, I dreamed of a Bayliss frame). That led to a bookmark on my browser years ago, years of obsessive browsing, one decision<http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2010/12/elves-of-rivendell-are-delivering-for.html> after another<http://simplecycle-marc.blogspot.com/2011/02/me-and-mixte.html>, a Hunqapillar and Hilborne in the garage, traveling across country to meet like minded crazies. Yeah, it's good.

Marc


On Tuesday, August 21, 2012 11:06:10 AM UTC-4, lungimsam wrote:
So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get your first Rivendell bike?

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[Toshi Takeuchi]

In my adult years, I've always ridden steel 700c bikes, and although I
looked at Rivendell for a while, I didn't want to plunge into 650b
bikes, which are the right size for my PBH. After a crash caused by
cracked roads led to the death of a fellow local rider, I decided to
ride road bikes with a minimum of 32mm tires.

That decision led to my purchase of a used Rambouillet, which I set up
with 32mm Paselas. I loved that ride and took the plunge on a new AHH
650b with 38mm Pari Moto tires. I love that bike, and am in the
process of converting all my 700c bikes to 650b (other than the Ram).
My Surly Pacer did great, and next is the old Columbus steel lugged
Bianchi. Someday I hope to complete my 650b stable with a touring
Bombadil when my kids grow up and can ride their own bikes.

Toshi

[James Warren]

Here is mine:

1990-1991: everyone in my circle of friends started noticing Bstone mountain bikes. I was riding my cheap GT Outpost at the time. Bridgestone's adherance to smart parts and their lovely riding and climbing geometry offroad was becoming known to us as each of us started buying one. (Eli: 1990 MB-2, Jay: 1990 MB-4, Steve: 1991 MB-2, my brother Dave: 1991 MB-3, Bill (who had money): 1991 MB-1.)
I wasn't serious about getting one until my brother showed me the ad for the 1991 Red MB-4 made in Japan with a fully lugged Ritchey frame - such quality at the budget end! The sensibility of the bike and the ad hooked me, as did the the page for it in the catalog: "We LIKE this bike."

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1991/pages/bridgestone-1991-16.htm

It cost $550 and was the first big thing I ever bought with my own money. I was in college at the time. I love that bike. I still ride it as my main mountain bike even though I have a newer Niner. I got into reading all the Bridgestone catalogs over the next couple of years. I was upset when the 1994 bikes came with Rapidfire and moreso when later that year, Bridgestone left the US market. Summer of 1994 happened to also be my entry into the world post-school, and one of the first things I did was to get an RB-2 while they could still be had. I got it from the Missing Link in Berkeley:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/1994/pages/46.htm

My bike preferences formed in those years riding both of those bikes - a great pair of bikes to have. In this time, I knew nothing of the name Grant Petersen.

In late '94, I liked my pair of Bridgestones so much that I decided to call the San Leandro number of the Bridgestone office that was printed on the back of the catalog to see if there any remaining XO's to be sold (naive I realize.) Part of the reason I called was that the Bridgestone ads over the years definitely had a friendly tone that made calling them seem pretty reasonable. In '92 I think I ented a contest where you cut out the ad and "draw, paste, or paint" a helmet onto Pineapple Bob's head (from the picture in the ad.)

So anyway, when I called the now defunct Bridestone in late '94, there was an answering machine greeting telling us to keep our eyes open for Grant's up-and-coming business called Rivendell Bicycle Works. As an LOTR fan, I loved the name, and I was really intrigued by the idea of the new company.

Then survival concerns took over for the next 10 months or so - had to figure out where to live, how to have a job, etc., and in the midst of this, I crashed my RB-2 in the summer of 1995 and head-buckled the frame. This really bummed me out. I put a lot of effort into replacing the frame with something that I considered equally groovy. (Remember, no eBay back then.) I then remembered the Rivendell message I had heard, wasn't sure if it got off the ground yet, but somehow found their phone number. I called, wondering if one of their frames could be the replacement. Grant answered the phone. By this time, I had learned that he was pretty well-known, and thought it was really cool that he gave some time on the phone to give me advice. I also learned that the $950 Rivendell Road was going to be way more than I could afford at the time! From our conversation, I knew I wanted a membership, so Grant set that up, and in that summer and fall of 1995, I made a few calls to Riv ordering the really cool parts they were selling, a lot of NOS stuff like good DiaCompe brakes. Usually Grant, sometimes Spencer, was who I talked to on the phone. It was really fun keeping up with their progress in those days (including the Reader's progress reports), and in the mid-90's, they were one of the only fun bike companies that was easy for me to access. I also learned a lot more about how to spec-it-yourself on your bike. My replacement RB-2 that I eventually found came out pretty cool, and I rode it work in Colorado every day. I remember Grant explaining things on the phone like how different stems have different quill lengths - fun times! I really wanted Riv to do well.

In June of 1996, I got to move back to California as I had wanted to, and during my drive out, I stayed with my sister in Berkeley. By this time, I had learned (probably from one of the Readers) that a visit to Riv HQ was possible, but I also knew that their space limitations at the time might make it inconvenient for them.
I got there with my RB-2 on BART, and I met Spencer and Grant, and their old space was really small. But they were really nice. Grant like how I had set up some of their parts on my RB-2 (mustache bars, high technomic and non-Aero brake levers.)

To get back to Berkeley, I wanted to ride my bike. It's a long ride, and Grant drew me a map on a copy of his book from the 80's "Roads to Ride" that he also gave me. So nice!

So since then, I've continued to update my membership and continued reading every Reader and have rooted for them and used them as a go-to for high-quality nonracing bike parts that work well for the do-it-yourselfer. And in the 16 years since, I have enjoyed several of their models which are optimized for a Diablo-style of riding which is very similar to the riding that I like to do where I live in Southern California. I was a Rivendell customer for several years before getting one of their frames.

I've always found it interesting that my own personal interest in bicycles and working on them so closely paralleled the growth of Rivendell as a company. Part of that is coincidental; it just so happens that 1995 was when I really started getting into it, and I would have gotten increasingly into bikes whether or not Rivendell came into being. But I know that having Rivendell as a source all these years has been influential.

-Jim W.

[James Warren]

Here is mine:

1990-1991: everyone in my circle of friends started noticing Bridgestone mountain bikes. I was riding my cheap GT Outpost at the time. Bridgestone's adherance to smart parts and their lovely riding and climbing geometry offroad was becoming known to us as each of us started buying one. (Eli: 1990 MB-2, Jay: 1990 MB-4, Steve: 1991 MB-2, my brother Dave: 1991 MB-3, Bill (who had money): 1991 MB-1.)

[Stonehog]

I had just moved back to Seattle and started commuting heavily by bike in 2008. I was looking for a road bike, as I was tired of modifying my mid-nineties Kona MTB for the commute.  I started reading a lot online.  Peter White, Sheldon, and Grant's writing - not sure where originally, but it struck a cord. My first road bike was an early 80's Raleigh Reliant I had purchased with paper route and corn-detasseling money (grew up in MN).  My first MTB was a '92 Stumpjumper Pro. Both steel, and that left an impression on me. I never liked the stiff feel of Aluminum and carbon frames. It was like when vinyl was superseded by CD. Listen to an old album if you want to hear real bass. 

Anyway, I somehow found out that an aquaintence had some rivendell bikes, so I dropped in one day and saw and rode some of his beautiful bikes. (thanks, Frank!) After that, all bikes I saw paled in comparison. I went to the Seattle bike show and saw a lot of nuthin'. 

in early 2009, I ordered the 59cm copper frame special A Homer Hilsen, and spent the next few months getting components and building it up. Love!  After a trip to Riv HQ in 2011, and rides on a Bombadil and 2 Hunqapillars, I was hooked again. I picked up a 54cm Hunqa this year, and it is now my camp/tour bike, to compliment my rando AHH.  

I expect there is a Roadeo or Legolas in my future. 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonehog/sets/

http://stonehog.wordpress.com

Mobile Brian Hanson

On Aug 21, 2012, at 8:06 AM, lungimsam <john1...@gmail.com> wrote:

So how did you originally find out about them, and why/where/how did you get your first Rivendell bike?

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[ascpgh]

Rode far and wide on the Motobecane Super Mirage of my youth. Racked up miles unquantified, explored both the country and city of St. Louis from which we lived near to the northwest. Even rode on the "Honda trails" in the woods behind the moto dealer. Cycling became organic to me. 

College in the '80s (not on either coast), cycling in a big gap between the biking boom of the '70s and the MTB surge to come. Graduated, took my commission in the service and found myself searching early for a new career, in a bed in Walter Reed with two dotted Sharpie lines around my thigh, one at 6" the other at 8", whichever gave the surgeon a better flap.

I was fortunate to be able to leave with both the leg, and the crutches. My colleague, who ran a bike shop in Williamsburg, VA and helped me buy a 1987 RockHopper (he talked me out of the drop bar MB-1!) two weeks before my injury, helped me fashion my discharge. He spotted me on the walk past the nurses station, carried me by the belt when I passed out and plopped me in the bed of his pickup for the escape up Georgia Avenue. I worked through process to clear form the installation and he boxed and sent the bike to my folks' house in Arkansas where I ended up in charge of my own fate and rehab.

I conducted the most approximate PT as I could with materials and supplies and as soon as I reach enough ROM to ride my bike on a trainer without being jacked up off the seat by the bad leg coming around the top of rotation without enough flex. Freedom came in the form of riding again. I put clips and straps on the 'Hopper ("madness" people told me) and I cinched down the bad leg's foot and used the other for all of my stoplight and trail dabs. Not enough nerve coordination to walk yet, but for the first time in more than a year I was able to go into the world on my own power without crutches. Soon joined the reserves to account for not letting the admin guy end my service and slap a medical determination on me. It would have been a $3k check for the trouble. I was riding 20 miles in the mornings and again iater each day

Made a business proposition to an existing outdoor outfitter of great reputation back in my college town. Wrote a plan for adding cycling using five paragraph operations order format (degree in zoology, not business). They said yes and I ran it and was one of the general managers of the company within two years. Started with Specialized and Bridgestone, doing a five star tear down and reassembly of each bike and their wheels. We were a dealer that made the reputation of brands rather than a dealer who pushed volumes of poorly assembled models based on brand equity.

Bridgestone folded, my business plan included  a similar "break down camp" scenario because my cycling department was in response to LBS not moving on market trends enough to satisfy customers used to the high level of service of the outfitter in other lines, I had a drop dead point if those LBS saw the light of day and got up to speed which they did when one of my mechanics bought one and used his med school money to turn it around (now has shop in Portland). I shut it down sold him much of the tooling and bench stock. My girlfriend and I married, moved away to the Bluegrass area and was riding an RB-1 with Sachs New Success Ergo and wheels of my own build (Open-4 36°, WS 14/15g DB) on and off road.

Moved again to Pittsburgh, got out of the reserves, bought house to rehab and set in on that when 9/11 happened. My wife was stuck in Mexico City for three weeks on a business trip, saw the Shanksville plane fly over on way to fate, saw AF-1 with phalanx of preceding fighters going back to DC then silence. Not a plane for days. Nothing looked real. Slowly pulled things back into context, the neighborhood was great. Rode with a group from the coffee shop around the corner mostly around town up and down, looking at how folks pulled together, 20-30 miles each week as time and light allowed. Said yes to a friend of my wife's looking for a 4th rider on a super light cross country ride, someone with mechanic skills. I said yes but knew my RB-1 was not going to do. A chance to see the country after this big reformation of value in eight to twelve hour rides, staying in cheap motels and eating in the cafes and diners along the way. 

Not stock bike was rando enough for my long of leg stature. Too much top tube, too little stem extension if any. Wasn't going to go goofball and ride a too small frame with a periscope setback post. Good money chasing bad idea. Talked to Grant, Rambouillet was coming and the stock geometry was ideal for me. A custom frame would nix the whole trip. Not available this year. It arrived the night before I drove to Yorktown, VA for the start in classic RBW build. Sports the same bar tape & shellac as issued including the repaired tear from the little dump in south central Colorado after a rear tire blow out. Once tire replaced the Peterson design values really played out: my shoulder was separated from the first hit on the newly chip-topped road, no cars for hours, no cell service and with storms across the western sky I told my fellow riders it was time to ride. 42 miles to the next town. My trip was done but I was again reminded of what a great ride this bike was as I did it with my jersey transformed into a sling for the bad arm. I was able ride and control the bike one handed  for the next hour and a half into the next town. The doctor in the town clinic was undone because she felt I should not have been able to ride 42 miles with a separated shoulder. She had no knowledge of Grant Peterson and his bicycle design and build ideals. I e-mailed him my story and we agreed it was for personal consumption and would never be a stellar plug "buy a bike you can ride after you are injured". The Grand Junction bike shop who shipped it cleaned the blood off its orange paint before packing. They were really eyeballing it and it was here say that Bill Strickland was in the shop and really took it in as the first he'd seen in person.

It has been ever my prime road and off-road trail (like the GAP/C&O, not the "dress like a hockey player to ride MTBs" fashion of late) bike since and although I look plenty, I cannot bear to move on from this trusty bike, although I do have a commuter which is better at the daily horrors of climate and urban decay. It's effective transportation and appreciated for that but not a looker by any means. It's a wordy path leading to an accumulated life's cycling meeting a product fashioned for exactly such. 

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh, PA

[Jim]

With the money from my first job pumping gas in 1971 I purchased a Schwinn Super Sport, fillet-brazed steel, typical mid-70s road bike build.  Loved that bike.  Rode it off and on (mostly on) through high school, college, first job, grad school and even commuted on it to my first job post-grad school.  Stopped riding it in the mid080's when job change, marriage to non-biker, move to bike-unfriendly Detroit suburb caused me put it on the shelf.  But I never got rid of it.

 

Fast forward to 2010, now we live in Boulder, still have the bike, though it's a bit creaky.  Had to go to Denver to find a shop that would touch it beyond putting new tires on it (Cycle Analyst on Pearl...recommended!) but they got it back on the road, and I started riding it again, mainly commuting to work.  God it felt great to get back on a bike.

 

The following summer we shared a vacation with good friends from Michigan, where we shared a houseboat in Sausilito.  I had been looking for a new bike, and because of my size, the big Rivs were on my short list.  I kinda knew we were close to WC, so I broached the subject of visiting Riv so I could see their selection.  Turns out my friend had lived in WC for many years, had camped on Mt. Diablo with his dad, and going back for a visit to his hold stomping grounds was already on the agenda.  In addition, he owned two early 90's Bridgestones.  So, it wasn't a hard sell to make a stop at Riv.

 

So, we wandered into the door that matched the address of the company....and walked right into the shipping dept.  Miesha gently escorted us over to the showroom, and shortly thereafter, Grant came over to talk to us.  Having spent my career as a ferrous metallurgist, we had a lot to talk about.  I got to ride a Sam, and left the showroom ready to purchase.  I ended up with a Homer, because the Sam was a little too small, and was riding it almost daily until my crash back in April.  Still not back on the bike yet, but getting closer every day.

 

Jim in Boulder

[ekoral]

I had been in a gnarly bicycle accident on my old trek road bike in 2008. I was a victim of a hit and run in san francisco and i shattered my left leg. All of this put me in the hospital for six weeks and over a year of rehab and walking aids and surgeries after that. So far I've had seven surgeries, skin graft, bone graft, three fasciotomies from recurring compartment syndrome, etc etc etc. Anyway, I was eager to get back on a bicycle after this. I looked on CL, and I found an aluminum cannondale caad3. I thought this was right. I built her up with straps and I used to bungee my foldable cane to the handlebars so I could walk after riding. The cannondale had just never been comfortable enough after my injury though, and I was looking for something else. I considered a hybrid, mtb, touring frames, etc. I know I had quite a bit of bike karma out there for me, and one day there she was on CL - a 53cm atlantis, set up as an xtracycle no less, for $1000. I immediately called, said, don't sell her, I want it. I went there later that day, bought it for $900 (from the nice folks at xtracycle!). The rest is history. I haven't had ANY pain riding bikes since then, even with a mildly gimpy leg. 

--eli

[Rick]

Rode a lot a lot as a kid, we used to carry shovels and hoes around to
carve paths out of the woods which we traversed largely on the schwinn
offering of the day. But (cue bike snob) stopped riding when my sister
went off to college and I got the keys to the CJ7. My two-wheeler,
while topless, did not have the cache of the jeep. Post-college, got
into mountain biking with friends, checked out some B-stone product,
but wound up with a '90 Specialized Rockhopper that went through a
couple of front forks due to a surely questionable riding style.

After landing back in Atlanta and with a regular job, the bike-
commuting light came on. I started trolling the internets, and one
thing or another led me to the Bob list and then the RBW website. Got
a bunch of parts to re-fashion the Rockhopper -- still alive and doing
well, mismatched Richey fork and all -- starting with the stem-riser
to get the bars up (thanks Keven). After a couple of years I finally
pulled the trigger on a Bleriot, reportedly one of the last demo's off
the floor at HQ. Later, my Atlantis, for which I even had the
audacity to request a special color. I've since turned on about a
half dozen folks to RBW, two of whom I ride with weekly. And I got my
wife a Betty. Spent half an hour on the pavement with a local office
worker yesterday who spotted my 'muter, was familiar with Rivendell,
and was considering an Atlantis. Disciples must evangelize when a
polite opportunity arises.

I still want a Homer. And a Bombadil. Those pictures of the Saluki
with the hetres and red tape that went up recently (and is now my
desktop photo) sounded a resonant pang in my chest cavity -- that's
the bike I was coveting when I opted for the Bleriot. I think a
Roadeo would be a wonderful addition to the stable. I have a home
renovation to get through, but after that I should have some extra
room in the garage.

[Bruce Herbitter]

I drooled over the Romulus ad on the Harris Cyclery web site and kept hoping that someday I could afford one. By the time I could, they were not carried any more. (I hadn't yet caught on the the generally brief window of opportunity for ANY Rivendell offering) Not to shed too many tears for that lost chance, I jumped on one the blue Rams and haven't looked back since.

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[TSW]

Here's my datapoint for the Rivendell marketing department...

Let's see- somehow in the 90s I got ahold of a couple Bridgestone catalogues, which I still have in my possession.  Then I met Grant at a bike show at the Cow Palace in SF, in the early aughts.  By then my Trek 560 was around 15 yrs old.  He was there by himself with his lugs, one of which he gave me, and spoke quietly and passionately about steel.  I started subscribing to RR, but never thought I'd own a Riv.  I guess it was aspirational, but I like how he writes and I still think of Ti mining as suspect environmentally, because, I thought, of that great piece on metals he did in one of the B'stone catalogues. I reread it recently and I don't think he points to Ti mining's environmental impact, but that was the first time I'd read anything that compare it side-by-side with Al and steel.  So great.

Anyhow, fast forward to about a year ago, and while training for the Grizzly Peak Century I found my back just didn't like my Trek anymore.  At the same time I was jonesing for a decent city bike, a reincarnated 70s-80s steel lugged frame, but never got around to it.

Somehow, on a whim my wife and I decided to try out a coupla Rivs at RWHQ.  She said, well if you rode a bike for 25 yrs by now, a new one will be as good an investment.  And I had to rid of a coupla beaters/projects, which I did.  And so that's how I ended up with an AHH, which still gets hit on at least 80% of the time I'm out with it.

Today, I love seeing people in street clothes on bikes, bikes with slender tubes and fat tires, with fenders and front racks, lovely luggage (the nicest piece of luggage in our house is my Sackville Saddlesack!); even a canvas and leather shoulder bag (non-bike) caught my eye today.

TSW
Berkeley

[Philip Williamson]

I think Google just ate my reply! Great topic, by the way. 

The short version:

1. 1997(?) Magazine article - "All-Rounder bike and rider contrasted against new Cannondale MTB"

2. rec.bicycles.tech newsgroup and iBOB email list. Rivendell Reader subscription.

3. Sheldon Brown and fixed gear bikes. 

4. The Quickbeam.

5. All you fine people. 

Philip

www.biketinker.com

[Jeremy Till]

Like many here, I was a fan of Riv and used their parts and philosophy for a long time before I took the plunge (this year) on a Quickbeam, which is recently built up and awesome!  (Pics once I get my grubby hands on a Titanico X). 

Basically, i started riding seriously in high school, around 2001-2002.  I bought a trek 520 touring bike for a cross-country bike tour summer-camp type thing i did between junior and senior years (great fodder for college application essays!), so from the start I was sold on the idea of steel and go-anywhere "road" bikes.  Moved to Berkeley, CA for college, rode a bit with the Cal Cycling team to learn the local routes but didn't really appreciate the racing attitude.  Around the same time, I was discovering fixed gears as a way of getting around town and was teaching myself to wrench by reading Sheldon's site and doing fixed gear conversions, so my first exposure to Rivendell was seeing Sheldon's fixed-gear Rambouillet; I loved the classic aesthetics and modern functionality.  Knew of them and followed them off and on, watched with interest the re-introduction of 650B with the Saluki, and the Quickbeam, which was well-received in the fixed gear circles I ran in.  Then, in 2007, I tried some moustache bars, and although they didn't really work for me, Riv sent a reader and one of the old print catalogs along with my order, and with that stuff, I was hooked as a Rivendell die-hard.  It was the same Reader where they introduced the Homer. 

Still, I was of limited enough means in the college and immediate post college years that I didn't really feel like one was affordable, so I ended up buying a Salsa Casseroll frame to be my own budget Quickbeam/Rambouillet mashup.  I've struggled with the fit on it for a while, and tried a couple of other bikes to see if I could come closer to a Rivendell type fit.  The most recent was a giant 66cm Takara touring bike, but even that didn't feel right--I've now realized it was because its frame angles were all wrong (who builds a touring bike with a parallel 73/73 frame?).  After that, around christmas last year, I had a conversation with my then-fiance-now-wife: "So what do you really want?"  "I want a comfy fixed gear I can ride as an everyday bike."  "It sounds like you want a Rivendell."  "Yeah, that's basically it." 

So a couple of weeks later we visited Walnut creek, hoping to take advantage of the SO closeout special.  Vince wasn't convinced that I would fit well on a 62cm SO, even with upright bars.  He said, "Let me see what I have lying around," disappeared for a while, and came back with a 64cm Orange Quickbeam, a bike I had coveted since they first came out!  I put down a layaway deposit on the spot, and four months later, it was mine!  Four months after that (and after a move, job change, marriage, and honeymoon), it's finally built up, and even though I'm still dialing it in, I can tell that there is really something unique and wonderful about the Riv geometry and tubing spec, and this is going to be a bike that I keep for a long, long time. 

[Evan]

In 1996, a friend passed along to me a Rivendell catalog that he'd received in the mail. At the time, I didn't ride a bike or care about bikes, but I cared about catalogs (I'm a copywriter). Well, that RBW catalog rocked my world. I read it into the small hours. After all these years I'm still a fan and a customer. Thanks mainly to Grant and to Rivendell, I even ride a bike now. 

[SteveD]

Yeah, those catalogs were brilliant; pretty down-to-earth with an honest voice and sense of humor. Classic. That's what sold me.

-Steve DeMont
Seattle

[Addison Wilhite]

My Riv story,

I was just getting into Bstone around 1993 and had an MB-2 but the XO-1 was what I lusted after.  It just seemed too extravagant having just gotten out of college and not making much money.  But I test rode it at Deluxe Bikes in Lincoln, NE and dreamed of one.  Then I got the word that Bstone was pulling out of the US...bummer for me.

A few years later I had been following Riv and put my money down on a Riv AR burnt orange and lovely.  It has been used in so may configurations at this point and done well with all.  Here is probably my favorite but I've used it for full on touring across Nevada and from Portland down to N. Cali along the Shasta/Sierra ranged.  A few pics:

http://reno-rambler.blogspot.com/search?q=monster+cross

Regards,

--
Addison
http://reno-rambler.blogspot.com

[reynoldslugs]

A Rivendell story:

 

Grant and Rivendell restored my interest and joy in bicycles and riding in 1998 or 1999.

 

I had some beautiful bikes back in the late 70's and early 80's; Mercian, Trek, Woodrup.  Got a good ten years of riding through college and grad school, but then career and family sort of got in the way, and I didn't ride for probably ten years.  Then, in the mid to late 90's, I started looking at bikes again, but they were strange - - I felt no connection or affinity for these bikes of the late 90's.   I just couldn't get interested in those bikes; they held no currency for me.

 

One night I was drinking beer at the Reverend Rex's house, complaining about how I didn't like modern bikes.  He handed me a Rivendell catalog - and baby that was all she wrote.  I saw steel, wool, and a less commercialized/boy-racer approach, and was immediately charmed.  A week later, I stopped in Rivendell WHQ, got some wool shorts, then picked up a Heron Road, and started riding again.  Got some Rolly-Polly that breathed new life into an old Jack Taylor, and eventually ordered a Rivendell Road custom. 

 

Now, life is filled with the rides, commutes, fellowship, and challenges that come from the bike. 

 

Life is richer when you ride your bike a lot.   Thanks, Grant.

[reynoldslugs]

On Sunday, August 26, 2012 8:30:42 AM UTC-7, reynoldslugs wrote:

A Rivendell story:

 

p.s. since the Heron and the Emerald Green Road Standard, I seem to have acquired a few more as well.  Here is the Emerald Green custom: 

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/41563482@N06/sets/72157625808579123/

[Tony Lockhart]

At age 29 in 2008, I decided to get a bike because a handful of coworkers influenced me to start riding (and keep in mind that I had not been on a bike since I was 6 years old). I started out with a Bianchi Volpe cyclocross bike because it was an affordable do-it-all bike. Shortly after purchasing the bike and getting hooked on cycling, a fellow automobile enthusiast turned me on to Nashbar, Bikeman, and Rivbike for spare parts. I would later come to find that my buddy was also a huge enthusiast of Bridgestone and Waterford bicycles.

In visiting the Riv web site, I spent a lot of time reading all of the great articles on bike materials, the shoes ruse, and the importance of having fun on a bike. Slowly, I started to get away from the spandex/skinny tire manifesto because wide tires and pretty silver bike parts were coming back in fashion. Luckily, Velo-Orange was just starting to blow up, so I had another source for parts to swap onto my Bianchi. In December of 2010, I had just noticed that the orange Sam Hillbornes arrived and I put in an order immediately. With a stockpile of parts, I built up my Sam and sold my Bianchi. I've been riding that bike almost daily since its purchase and it has gone through many different variations---currently a 1x9 no fenders and a rando bag that I made.

In the past year, I picked up a "poor-mans-Homer" as an errand bike that I wouldn't mind locking up in public areas. So, I've got the Sam for weekend rides with the wife and the occasional century ride. And I've got a Soma Smoothie (great bike by the way) for my commute to work and errands around town). Naturally, the Smoothie has 28c tires, a Brooks saddle, and the Riv standard drivetrain.

[PATRICK MOORE]

Grant, enhanced by beer. I can relate to that!

Patrick "most people are born two drinks under par" Moore

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-------------------------
Patrick Moore, Albuquerque, NM, USA
For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW
http://resumespecialties.com/index.html
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[PATRICK MOORE]

Beautiful -- bike, setting -- and the bags. What bags are those? How
does the front attach? And what are those tires?

Entirely unasked for, I know, but I can't help re-re-re-re-re-posting
my own two customs (which I've been riding up hills this weekend --
great fun, even tho' I do 1/10 of the miles E Norris does).

https://picasaweb.google.com/BERTIN753/BIKESMISCELLANEA#5715788058530561538

https://picasaweb.google.com/BERTIN753/BIKESMISCELLANEA#5717014724939385538

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[lungimsam]

Here's mine:

 

 2009: Got a modern "10-speed". Compact frame, aluminum/composite material, and spent the next two years trying to go as fast as possible. Why? Because I liked going fast, and thought it would be good to be able to keep up with others, if needed. As if... I wasn't a racer, and had no intentions of racing. But for some reason every ride had to be a time trial with me.

 

This became very stressful, and riding wasn't fun anymore. I would actually wake up in the morning feeling scared, because I knew I had a lonely "training" ride ahead of me each day, and never knew what might happen bad-wise (crash?, stranded?).

 

2011: Didn't wanna ride anymore. It became a chore to be feared. Only rode to escort my wife to work on her short commutes. Without her, I never would got on the bike that year. I started to wonder if those massive tubes on CF bikes were really any more aerodynamic that those thin tubed, steel 10-speeds of old. I started, for some reason, to like the traditional diamond frame with curved forks look better than modern road bikes.

 

2012: March. Decided, that this year, I was going to ride for fun only. Take it slow, and enjoy the beauty of God's creation, and abandon the warped thinking I had in years prior about going fast. Suddenly, the pressure was off, and riding was fun again. But this year, I started having problems with my neck and shoulders -  the bars seemed way too low on my race bike. Soreness. Hard to look up and around while riding.

If I remember correctly, I wanted to know was anyone making frames with that old "10-speed" look to them. So elegant, and I liked lugs, too. I got to the RBW site, and everything they were talking about was right up my alley with the riding I wanted to do. It just got better the more I read. The high bars, the frame geometry. Everything designed for comfort and fun, and function. I had to have one. But I couldn't swing new, so I got the used Bleriot in July. Now I can cruise in comfort and look up and all around with the high bars. I love commuting, and I am probably riding more this year than any other - and having so much fun.

I hope to support RBW with a new bike purchase one day. I hope they keep doing what they are doing.

 

[Evan]

"Comfort. Function. Fun."  Sounds like an unofficial Riv motto.

[lungimsam]

On Monday, August 27, 2012 4:02:16 AM UTC-4, Evan wrote:

"Comfort. Function. Fun."  Sounds like an unofficial Riv motto.

They could put that in latin on the next new model's head badge.

[Bill M.]

I owned a 1991 BR-1.  Lost that bike to a theft, but didn't lose track of Bridgestone.  I was on the iBOB list back then, until the traffic got too be too much to follow.

Somewhere in 1994 I saw an ad announcing that Grant had started up Rivendell.  I subscribed to the Reader starting with the 'green' issue.  In April of 1995 I had saved up enough money to order a Road Standard, though I was sweating over whether to spend the extra $50 for the contrasting head tube.  When I called Riv to place the order and chat about colors, they had me call their guy at Waterford.  Turned out someone had ordered a 56 (my size) in Sherwood Forest Green, single color, then changed his mind about the size.  The 56 was hanging there waiting for me!  That made the color decision easy.

I still have that frame:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/15750548@N04/5469420091/

The paint is original, but many different sets of parts have been on the frame.  It's now temporarily out of service, to be reborn into it's second round of fixed-gear duty.  Maybe with the S3X 3-speed fixed hub.

A couple of years later during one of Riv's periodic cash crunches they had a few prototypes to sell off.  The deal was, tell us your size and what you might want, and we'll call you if we have something that matches.  They called and offered me the Mountain/Expedition frame that had been the catalog model.  For $500, how could I refuse?  It replaced an MB-1 that I had bought and had only had for a few weeks.

I had the M/E for years but never rode it enough, and finally decided the top tube was too long for me and sold it to someone on this list.  

Bill