New Bike Day: My Little Platy

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Finally. New. Bike. Day.

This bike was a long time coming. I bought the frame in November (November!) and have waited this long for the plethora of specialty parts to arrive.

Purple is a fun color; it never takes itself too seriously. It goes with most other colors, which is what led me to choose…all the colors.

The theme for this Platypus is: 80s My Little Pony. I call the bike My Little Platy.

The bike is a 50cm Rivendell Platypus with 650b wheels; it can be taken on Amtrak and bus racks, which is something its 55cm siblings cannot do. I put fat tires on it so it can handle gravel. My Gravel & Travel Platy.

I adored My Little Pony in my girlhood, and my favorite ponies had rainbow hair. Why settle for just pink or blue when some ponies had ALL the colors? I started out this build incorporating a color here or there. (I had my Paul brakes already cerakoted in blues.) But while looking for grips, I found Ergon oil slick clamps and had my revelation: I wanted oil slick everywhere I could get it.

Because oil slick has ALL the colors.

All the makers of these parts worked with me to make this bike happen. They sent their beautiful products to me and let me alter them in wild, saturated, living color. I don’t know if any of them understood why I was going all out like this. All of them were men, save one - the anodizer. You can see her work in the levers, chain rings, cranks, and bottom bracket. She understood the assignment. 

I live with 3 men and none of them give the bike their stamp of approval. The Lone Wolf will howl, alright. I remain steadfast in my adoration of this bike because it does something for me. Takes me back to my simple, happy 80s and 90s childhood. If when you were a little girl (most of your were not), your friend had a dress-up closet and you could choose from her lavish collection of finery to wear at playtime, and you just came out WEARING ALL OF IT, well, that is this Platypus.

Thank you to everyone at Analog Cycles, Paul Components, Ignite Components, Ashley Anodized It, Velocity USA and Pedal Bicycles for making this silly concept a real, tangible bicycle. And of course, thank you to Rivendell Bicycle Works, who makes the best bikes in the world.

Please find my video link below.

Leah

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7S3y0AufkX/?igsh=ZTk5amhhaTR2anQ=

[Bill Lindsay]

I want that cargo net.  Where do I buy that cargo net?

For everything else: APPROVE!

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[lucky...@gmail.com]

I LOVE IT! 

….Does my purple XO-1 need more color, hmmmm?

On May 22, 2024, at 20:43, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Leah Peterson]

Bill - I love the approval! I covet the approval! You can buy that net in an array of color combos on Analog’s website.

Liz - YES.

On May 23, 2024, at 12:56 AM, Bill Lindsay <tape...@gmail.com> wrote:

I want that cargo net.  Where do I buy that cargo net?

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[Roberta]

I love it. Such a happy looking bike and I’m sure will bring you a lot of joy. I love the nods to your old Rivs, and to your childhood, when you got your first bike, sized for someone a foot taller than you. Yet you’ve always put on the Leah personalization. I’m looking forward to hearing how it rides similarly and or differently than your 55 Platypus, since you PBH you’re able to go to either size well. Many happy miles to you!

Roberta

Philadelphia

[Joe Bernard]

I can't believe it's finally here, I was young when this project started! That is a fine and lovely bicycle, congrats to you and all the builders who made it happen. 

As Roberta said I'm very curious how it will feel compared to your 55 Platys. Tell us everything! 

Joe "likes the My Little Pony bike" Bernard 

Clearlake CA 

[Ryan]

Nice!

[Brent Knepper]

wow its giving zoomer maximalism aesthetic

Brent "has the same bluelug cargo net, nice" in chi

[Sarah Carlson]

When "too much" is "just right." This bike will make you (and anyone who sees it) smile. Who could not smile at the sight on a My Little Platy coming down the road! I hope you have many joyous miles riding, and that some of them are in California so we can see it in person!

On Wednesday, May 22, 2024 at 8:43:11 PM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

[ian m]

Love the iridescent bits, the anodizer really nailed it

[Sally Bidleman]

What a wonder! Absolutely terrific...and I loved hearing the backstories!

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[Diana H]

Great to finally see the completed bike! May you ride many blissful miles on it.

Did you order the parts and send it to the woman to anodize them?

[Tom Goodmann]

So glad you posted this here, as the Insta vid is so fun. Congratulations!

[Valerie Yates]

Beautiful! That is a forever bike. I’m impressed by your creativity and attention to every detail. I am also curious for your impressions on the sizes once you’ve had time to compare.

Val in Boulder, CO 

[J J]

Congratulations! It’s great expression of your personality and vibe! 

[jeffrey kane]

This is easily the winner for single greatest injection of personalized Easter Eggs in one project that I've ever seen... that is for sure (!)

It simply has to be a "best of show" contender somewhere. 

Congratulations LP!

[Armand Kizirian]

Looks super fun. Good to know Paul can anodize parts like that! Also interested to hear how the different size rides for you. Enjoy!

[Mitch Browne]

My color world is small.  My creative mind is limited.  I am a guy.

Mitch Browne

San Luis Obispo, CA

[Glenn Mackin]

Wow. This is just amazing!

[Michael Morrissey]

Very very cool! I especially like the flat blue on the Paul brakes! 

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Armand, 

No, Paul won’t do cerakoting for you. This was done through Analog Cycles, who have access to a cerakoter. You can get special ano Paul stuff, but I don’t think they will offer the same level of choice. These brakes were mismatched on purpose, and so were the levers, an Analog brainchild that I loved. I ended up not using the levers because I needed the rainbow to tie in up at the bars. 

When I said I had a list of makers to thank I wasn’t exaggerating! The parts were specialty in many ways. I think the makers went beyond what would be expected. They were all so personable and seemed interested to see the finished product. And then the shop really had its work cut out, facing the bottom bracket shell for the cranks and re-wiring my lighting. Oh, and fitting the racks! I really need to head over there with some kind of gift

Also, you’re a tough Platy act to follow. I told RivSister Sarah, “Armand just posted his classy purple Platy and I have to follow it with Rainbow Brite?!”

L

[Steve]

Leah, as a kindred Platypus-ista Iet me  say that yes indeed, you "Nailed It" !    What a fun build.!!!  Now ride the heck out of it.

Steve in AVL

[Patrick Moore]

IMO this ties with the other customized Platypus featured here recently for "nicest-looking Platypus in list history," and it probably wins the award for "most attention paid to aesthetics" in list history. Note: I think very many of the Rivs posted are lovely to look at.

Me, as with Mitch, "I am a guy." I am fully OC about my bikes for parts and builds and design (I remember most of the parts from my first 1970 full build), but not aesthetics, and it's interesting to see how others' passions turn out.

Cerakoting is new to me; had to Google it. I see it differs from anodizing, but, how exactly? Too bad webmeisters are generally better fancy web page design than conveying information -- this for global corporate websites as well as bike websites; the latter on the whole do better. I gather that anodizing is colored (or not) oxidizing while cerakoting is a --- coating.

One of the early links that DDG turned up said: "Anodized versus Cerakote: Which is better for your AR15?"

[Toshi Takeuchi]

Wow, that is amazing!  Every detail was carefully chosen down to the bolts.

Toshi in Oakland

[Joe Bernard]

Right down to the bolts! An idea I totally stole from Leah, I bought her Clem and did the thing! 

Joe "it's an homage, not stealing 😬" Bernard 

[Wesley]

You know you're in deep when you're sourcing BMX parts to get the look right. It's funny how the bike world is almost completely separated between BMX and all other bikes - the brands, the language, and the parts standards apparently have almost no contact across the divide.

-Wes

[Toshi Takeuchi]

👍👍

Like it Joe!

Toshi in Oaktown

[Leah Peterson]

Thank you all for indulging me! I suspected this to be a controversial bike and I was nervous to post it. But whether it’s your thing or not, you’ve been gracious. 

Cerakoting is supposed to be stronger than ano, but I don’t know too much else about it, Patrick. 

The bike is SO FUN. I got lost for 20 miles last night and didn’t want to come home. It feels very different than my other bikes with its smaller size, albatross bars, and chunky 48mm tires. It’s squirrely when I stand and pedal, and the Silver 2s are a learning curve. I’ve been messing with that wing nut, trying to decide how tight it should be. I had ghost shifting, which never happens to me on my other bikes.  Anyway, thanks again for all the remarks! You guys are good sports.

L

Sent from my iPhone

On May 24, 2024, at 3:45 PM, Toshi Takeuchi <tto...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Leah Peterson]

So deep. I couldn’t stand putting a solid color on the spacer when I saw so many oil slick option in 1 1/4 inch. Sure enough, the BMXers came through with the 1 in for me.

Sent from my iPhone

On May 24, 2024, at 11:27 AM, Wesley <brooks...@gmail.com> wrote:

You know you're in deep when you're sourcing BMX parts to get the look right. It's funny how the bike world is almost completely separated between BMX and all other bikes - the brands, the language, and the parts standards apparently have almost no contact across the divide.

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[Leah Peterson]

I’ve had so much fun putting the first 50 miles on my new bike. I love looking at it and wish I could see it when I’m riding it. The spokes do gleam in the sun as the wheels rotate, which thrills me. I don’t know anything, but it feels to me like my 700c wheels are faster than these 650b. I am not slow on them, but also I would never use this bike for a club ride if my other Platy was in the shop. Both bikes have Velocity Quills, set up tubeless, but the Racing Platy has 42mm Ultradynamicos and the My Little Platy has 48 mm Gravel Kings. Maybe these things are the real differences, I don’t know.

The bike is more compact and manageable but does not feel too small. I’m so grateful for my 81 cm PBH, which allows me the flexibility to ride both frame sizes. I have pretty heavy racks on the My Little Platy and yet the bike doesn’t feel THAT heavy. I bet it would feel light as a feather if I didn’t have fenders, racks, dyno and bags all over it. 

The Silver shifters are taking some getting used to. One wingnut handle flops and the other stays in place. The shifting was like butter, but when I tightened the nut (hoping to stop the handle flapping) it made the lever difficult to move. So, I loosened it again and I’m having some ghost shifting. On my red bike, I have Microshift and I never miss a gear. I can hit it perfectly, every darn time. Hoping I get the hang of these shifters, because they come highly lauded. 

The front end feels a bit shaky when I stand and pedal, another thing I don’t understand. These are Albatross bars and I have Billies on the others. Also, this bike has a front rack. Maybe that’s why. 

At any rate, I have a lot to think about, fine tune and to learn. And I’m having such fun in the process.

Leah

On May 24, 2024, at 7:44 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

So deep. I couldn’t stand putting a solid color on the spacer when I saw so many oil slick option in 1 1/4 inch. Sure enough, the BMXers came through with the 1 in for me.

[Josh C]

Love it. Love the video (which was quite well done), love the bike, love the colors...love it. 

[Johnny Alien]

Love the new bike (a lot...I am a fan of 80's color schemes) and also love the feedback on how size/geometry/differences affect the ride.

[Armand Kizirian]

Leah,

Remove the "thumb screw" from the shifters. Place some blue threadlocker on the threads, let it dry, and do another coating as well. They won't hold their setting and eventually unscrew from use, creating ghost shifts, particularly at the worst possible time (out of the saddle sprints, etc.). A few layers of threadlocker help them hold their position without issue.

If you happen to powdercoat things in the future, check out the color "prismatic universe". I powdercoated my mtb that color with a high gloss clear coat and it is insane in the sun. I'll have to send some pics when it's all together. Doing some light oil slick parts too as a theme.

[Patrick Moore]

+ 1 for blue Loctite on shift lever threads -- it works. Me, I am less careful than Armand and simple put a big dollop on the threads, screw it all together, adjust tension, and let it dry -- this method hasn't failed yet over many years.

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Patrick Moore

Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum

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[Joe Bernard]

"I don’t know anything, but it feels to me like my 700c wheels are faster than these 650b."

A common note about 26"-and-smaller wheels is they spin up faster than 700c but don't hold momentum as well. You may be experiencing this phenomenon with 650b as well. 

Joe Bernard 

On Sunday, May 26, 2024 at 5:55:44 AM UTC-7 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:

[Doug H.]

Leah,

I tried the Silver2 shifters and also had ghost shifting. I used Loctite and still had ghost shifting. I've also used Microshift and Shimano thumb-shifters with no ghost shifting. That's my limited experience but I hope you get yours to hold like Patrick was able to do. I'm no mechanic so someone with more know-how may be able to make it work.

So glad to hear you're liking the My Little Pony Gravel Travel bike! It's a looker for sure. Have you had any compliments on it yet? I may have missed that in your posts so apologies if so.

Doug

[MoVelo]

Lovely bike Leah. Makes me think of Tom Wolf's Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test. 

Psychedelics experience/experiments with powerful psychoactive substances that alter perception and mood and affect numerous cognitive processes

Sounds about right to me. Groovy baby!

[Ryan]

Purple Haze! I think it's a  really fun build. Even though my personal aesthetic is a lot more restrained, I love Leah's bike builds. They're like art installations. 

Not to buzz-kill or anything, but I wonder how well anodizing/cerakoting finishes hold up, especially on high-wear areas such as pedals

[Leah Peterson]

Thanks, Ryan! 

It’s a legit concern. So, my teal Spank Oozy pedals on my Racing Platy are as bright as the day I got them in late 2020. 

But, the pinks and reds in ano are another matter. You can see the rose lever in the above pic, right? So, my first crack at rose ano failed horribly. I had VO levers done in that exact shade and within 4 months they faded to silver with only a hint of pink left. These levers in the ahove pic are Paul and done by their anodizer, and we’ll see if they last. They were done this winter, so not enough time to evaluate. 

It’s entirely possible that this My Little Platy loses its colors over time, but I’m not worrying just yet. The oil slick should be fine; the ano cranks/levers are dark enough that I think even those might be ok. But we’ll see. 

L

On May 27, 2024, at 8:15 AM, Ryan <ryte...@mts.net> wrote:

Purple Haze! I think it's a  really fun build. Even though my personal aesthetic is a lot more restrained, I love Leah's bike builds. They're like art installations. 

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[Toshi Takeuchi]

Hi Leah,

You could try experimenting with the tire pressure and then standing up and riding.  For my wide tires, I ride with low tire pressures, but if it is "too low" for me, then the bike starts to bounce kinda like a trampoline when I stand on my pedals.  I don't know if that's the same feeling you are feeling, but pumping up the pressure helps remove the trampoline effect and it transfers the power to the pavement just like a higher pressure road tire (for me).  When my handling gets all wonky it's, "Oh *?*!, a flat!!!?"

Toshi

P.S. There are rumors that the 48 mm gravelkings are clunky slow compared to the 42 mm gravelkings.  I don't know because I have only used the 42 mm gravelkings.

[John Hawrylak, Woodstown NJ]

Leah

You stated wrt tires " Both bikes have Velocity Quills, set up tubeless, but the Racing Platy has 42mm Ultradynamicos and the My Little Platy has 48 mm Gravel Kings."

If both bikes are 650B, then the Angular Moment of Inertia is slightly higher for the 48's (larger radius, tires weigh more), so the 48s accelerate a little slower vs the 42's

If the 42's are 700C, the Moment of Inertia for the 42s is higher than a 650B (larger radius) and the difference in acceleration would be less.

You stated wrt to front end shaking  "The front end feels a bit shaky when I stand and pedal, another thing I don’t understand. These are Albatross bars and I have Billies on the others. Also, this bike has a front rack. Maybe that’s why."

Both bikes have almost identical trail and wheel flop (assuming fork rake is the same since they are both stock Platy's) and the high flop causes side to side motion which is amplified by front weight.   So if the other bike has NO front rack, then the "shakiness" may be the 'amplified" side to side motion.  Not sure if you notice this only at low speed when climbing or when riding around the neighborhood at low speed (generally < 6 to 8 mph).    High wheel flop is the downside of high trail.

If the new bike bars have a shorter lever arm to the stem, then you may be overcompensating the side to side motion compared to the other bike

Hope this helps.   I think you did a superlative job on this new bike, figuring out everything in advance.

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

I feel I’ve finally gotten enough miles on the My Little Platy to trust it. It feels really good and sporty and solid. I haven’t loaded it down as I haven’t had cause, but I’m sure it would do fine. I’ve added a cerakoted pink Racer basket from Analog, secured with aqua zip ties and then even got a pink Voile strap (also Analog) I’ve employed as a safety strap for the front rack. I think pink is outstanding on Ana Purple. I have lots of it sprinkled on the bike and it really sets off the paint color.  It is so nice to have a more compact Riv to take if need be; I’m really lucky to be able to fit 2 sizes. I still love the big 700c wheels on my other bikes, but this more compact frame is fantastic - I can lift and turn it easily without feeling like I’m wielding something ungainly.

I’m conflicted about the Silver shifters; they ghost shift and I don’t always hit the gears perfectly. I have Microshift on the red Platy and honestly, they do a better job. I know I should paint some Loctite on the wingnut but I’m reluctant because I don’t know how tight I want the nut to be - too tight and it makes the lever really hard to push. Too loose and it slips gears. Frustrating, considering the high praise these shifters have received. 

I’ll send photos in a separate post.

Leah

[Leah Peterson]

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 18, 2024, at 8:22 AM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I feel I’ve finally gotten enough miles on the My Little Platy to trust it. It feels really good and sporty and solid. I haven’t loaded it down as I haven’t had cause, but I’m sure it would do fine. I’ve added a cerakoted pink Racer basket from Analog, secured with aqua zip ties and then even got a pink Voile strap (also Analog) I’ve employed as a safety strap for the front rack. I think pink is outstanding on Ana Purple. I have lots of it sprinkled on the bike and it really sets off the paint color.  It is so nice to have a more compact Riv to take if need be; I’m really lucky to be able to fit 2 sizes. I still love the big 700c wheels on my other bikes, but this more compact frame is fantastic - I can lift and turn it easily without feeling like I’m wielding something ungainly.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/a801a4a6-1b8b-4d87-ba13-1acdf5570519n%40googlegroups.com.

[John Hawrylak, Woodstown NJ]

Leah

you stated " I’m conflicted about the Silver shifters; they ghost shift and I don’t always hit the gears perfectly. I have Microshift on the red Platy and honestly, they do a better job. I know I should paint some Loctite on the wingnut.....".

1 question, 1 suggestion

Was the Microshift barcons set up in friction or index?

John Thurston on the iBob list has a 3D printed part for the SunTour barcons which replaces (with a nylock nut) the hex nut/screw plate arrangement SunTour used to tighten the shifter.  His design holds the tightness and only requires a screwdriver to adjust the tightness.  You may want to ask him if the Silver has a similar design.

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[Jason Fuller]

I have had the same experience with the Silver shifters, as have others I recall - some find their feel worth the tinkering, but I have changed my bikes to Shimano SL-BS77's and am much happer with them - and I can choose whether I want friction or index with the turn of a dial! 

[Johnny Alien]

I went back and forth with index and friction shifters and decided that I personally don't see the downside of index shifters. They always work good for me and generally seem less fidgety.

[Johnny Alien]

Forgot to add....Love that new basket