After you bought a Rivendell, what bike did you go to next?

[Michael Morrissey]

I like bikes and I was thinking of implementing a new life rule: buy a new bike every ten years whether I need to or not. Of course, I don't need to. I bought my Appaloosa in 2016 and have been happily riding it since then.

I was wondering, people who have bought Rivendells and enjoyed them, and then decided to get another bike, what bike did you get and why?

Please I want to hear from normal people who own 3 or fewer Rivendells, not people who have one of every model of Rivendell and who get personal greeting cards from Grant Peterson.

Where did you go from the top? Custom? Surly? Crust? Jones? Urban Arrow for you and your offspring? Full squish mountain bike? Moto Guzzi? Brompton? Citibike all the time? Beater 26" mountain bike? Feel free to message me off list if you can't admit you moved away from lugged steel. I'm just a curious bike nerd. This is not market research.

Michael

 

[David Ross]

I think 11 was my peak number of bikes. I’m now down to 2 Rivs, a Jones, a Crust and a Stooge. I ride my Riv Gus more than any of them by a long shot, largely due to the high stack height. At this point, I doubt I ever buy another bike again unless it’s a Rivendell or a Jones or a similarly designed custom. Basically, geometry matters way more than anything else when it comes to bikes. Everything else is aesthetics and subtleties in feel. 

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[Richard Rose]

I am no brand “groupie”. But, I evolved over time to where I am today - a Clem L & a Gus. I’ve had a bunch of road bikes including PX10, DeRosa, Carrera & custom Richard Sachs. MTB’s include Gary Fisher Trek, Marin Pine Mountain, Jones 29 & Ibis Mojo 3.

I will never go back to a drop bar road bike & Gus is the most comfortable & fun MTB I’ve owned.

A whole lot of bikes catch my eye - a WHOLE LOT in fact. I love bikes. But, I look at them and realize how comfortable I am currently & then walk away. Over the weekend I was absolutely smitten by a Wilde Super Something? But I’ve had short wheelbase bikes. No good reason to go back.:)

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 6, 2025, at 5:02 PM, David Ross <dros...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Patrick Moore]

On Mon, Oct 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM Michael Morrissey <michaelg...@gmail.com> wrote:

… Please I want to hear from normal people who own 3 or fewer Rivendells, not people who have one of every model of Rivendell and who get personal greeting cards from Grant Peterson.

LOL. >18 or so years ago I met a local ER physician with a nice big old territorial ranch house in Corrales who had one of each, or nearly so, and a huge walled-in patio in which to store his umpteen bikes and extravagant collection of nice parts. 

On Mon, Oct 6, 2025 at 2:53 PM Michael Morrissey <michaelg...@gmail.com> wrote:

I like bikes and I was thinking of implementing a new life rule: buy a new bike every ten years whether I need to or not. Of course, I don't need to. I bought my Appaloosa in 2016 and have been happily riding it since then.

I’ve owned 5, so over the 3 limit, but I’ve passed all on except for one. Tho’ I just bought a Roadeo with derailleur drivetrain to augment my 2 fixed gear road bikes for longer and hillier rides, so 6. But the Roadeo and the 1999 custom are the only 2 remaining ones.

I’ve been averaging a new Rivendell (or at least a professional builder’s revision of an existing bike or a clone of a Riv model) every 5 years or so since I got my first Riv in 1995. The last was the 2020 Matthews fixed/IGH fixed/IGH free Matthews custom that replaced the 2003 Riv custom. I rode that one just now on a very pleasant errand ride. [Aside: I was feeling tired and blue as often on a Monday morning, but went out and rode some errands and, voila, life is much better now.]

I was wondering, people who have bought Rivendells and enjoyed them, and then decided to get another bike, what bike did you get and why?

I built my first Riv road custom first as a gofast, then demoted it to commuting duties after I got my 1999 gofast Joe Starck fixed gear that I’ve annoyed all of you with over the years, converting it to a fixed drivetrain with an ENO hub and heavy-handedly Dremeling/filing off all unnecessary braze-ons.

I had the 2003 Curt designed as a 1X 10 (*) deraileur gofast clone of the 1999 but, as  2/3 of my riding was cross-town commuting, it hung on the wall and gathered dust, so about 2006 I had local builder Dave Porter convert it to fixed for commuting, at which point I sold the 1995.

I had Chauncey Matthews do further modifications to the 2003 fixed errand bike: custom rear rack, then another, better custom rear and new front racks, and dyno-wire guides.

I put many commuting and errand miles on the much-modified 2003 Curt, but it was never as delightful as the 1999, so in 2020 I asked Chauncey to build me a geometrical clone for fixed and IGH rear wheels. The narrower gauge and thinner wall 531 tubing suited me much better, so I sold the much-modified-over-the-years 2003.

I just did some errands on the 2020 replacement for the (2003 Curt/Porter/Matthews-modified Riv and it lives up to my hopes. 

Also, circa 2016, I asked Chauncey to build me a “road bike for dirt,” a drop bar bike mimicking the riding position and handling, as much as the great differences allow, of my custom Riv Roads but accepting 60 mm tires plus fenders (and, for that matter, 80 mm 584s plus fenders, tho’ I’ve not used these). 

So, Rivs owned: 1995 Waterford 26” wheel derailleur road custom, sold on after I got better (more mature design) dittos; 1999  Joe 26” wheel fixed road custom, modified by Chauncey Matthews circa 2018 with longer dropouts and dt bottle cage bosses; 2003 Curt ditto,  modified 2006 by Dave Porter for fixed drivetrain commuting, again by Chauncey Matthews ~ 2012 for custom rear rack, and then again circa 2015 or better rear and front lowrider racks plus dyno-light routing; first-gen Sam Hill (also Dave Porter modified) circa 2010;  second-gen blue Ram — unmodified — circa 2011; and 11-speed Ultegra-equipped Roadeo, October 2025 (delivery scheduled 10/9/2025).

I sold on the 1995 because the 1999 and 2003 were better (tho’ the 1995 was nice); the Sam Hill because it couldn’t take 50 mm tires (first generation) and because it was too floppy on the front end; the Ram because it wasn’t as nice as alternatives as gofast road bike or errand road bike and because handling was a bit staid for my taste; and the 2003 because I get a fixed/IGH clone with all sorts of custom features made by Chauncey, which only incidentally turned out to “plane” better for me than the 2003.

* I had it designed for a 1X10 drivetrain, with a removable leftside dt shifter boss, which I left off. With 559 X 23 mm Specialized Turbos at 24” in diameter, a single 46t TA Pro 5 Vis ring and an American Classic 11-21 block gave me gears from 100” to 53”. Mavic-branded Simplex retrofricton rightside shifter. I alternated with an Am Classic 12-23 for 92” to 48”.

[Brian Turner]

Most bikes I’ve ever owned at once was 7, and at that point, five of them were Surlys. I basically went from Surly to Crust, and I still own one of each brand.

First Riv was my Gus. Then I purchased a used Toyo Atlantis about a year after that. Still own both and don’t plan on getting rid of either. I probably ride my Atlantis the most.

Brian
Lexington KY

[Nick A.]

I first bought a '22 Atlantis. Then a '24 Roadini. Before that, an 82 Schwinn super sport and a New Albion Privateer.

The only bike that piques my interest these days is the Crust Geared Wombat, and it's for frivolous and fun reasons.

Nick in Falls Church 

[Bob]

I ordered a Homer in 2014. Mostly loved it, but learned I prefer smaller wheels. I sold it in 2017 to help fund a custom Bantam with 650B wheels and good clearance for fenders and 42 mm tires.* Missed having a Riv, though, so I now am the third (I think?) owner of an All Rounder of uncertain vintage with 26 in. wheels. If RBW still did customs, I'd want something very much like my AR. 

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Bob

* If RBW ever makes adjustments to the Sam, I think they should make the 54 and 57 take 650B wheels with room for fenders and 48 mm tires. Got a spot in my stable for that bike.

[rlti...@gmail.com]

I have owned too many bikes since I picked up my custom All Rounder. But the one I bought specifically as a replacement of the All Rounder (which I still own) is a BMC Mod-Zero. Basically I wanted a roadish bike that will take 2”wide tires and that can handle modest trails.

My All Rounder is a bit limited on tire clearance and won’t fit the wide tires I prefer these days.

Robert Tilley

San Diego, CA

Sent from my iPhone

On Oct 6, 2025, at 1:53 PM, Michael Morrissey <michaelg...@gmail.com> wrote:

I like bikes and I was thinking of implementing a new life rule: buy a new bike every ten years whether I need to or not. Of course, I don't need to. I bought my Appaloosa in 2016 and have been happily riding it since then.

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[John Dewey]

Rv’dells & Ebisus…cousins / separated at birth?

Alongside another old relative—WF P’mount. 

Incestuous? Quite likely 🤪

JD

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[Ben Miller]

"Please I want to hear from normal people who own 3 or fewer Rivendells, not people who have one of every model of Rivendell and who get personal greeting cards from Grant Peterson."

Whoa my dude, I think you've massively read the room wrong. A couple of things:

1. I dunno if you've ever met Grant in person, but he is sure as hell not sending "personal greeting cards" to collectors. He's definitely way more excited about the new customer than he is about the returning one. When Blue Lug announced the 13th (slash 10th?) anniversary frames, including in the rules was that "Grant-san had wished strongly that the frame would be ridden instead of being kept in a shed" Hardly the words of a guy who wants you just to collect 'em all. 
2. But sure, this particular forum is guilty as charged. I've owned 6 Riv's, so definitely don't fall into your "normal" person category. But, I mean, it is the "RIV OWNER'S BUNCH" group for crying out loud. You're gonna get a bunch of "weirdos" who've tried a bunch of different Rivs. It's a storied brand that's evolved over time, remade itself multiple times, and led the bike industry in new ways. This is the forum where we argue about how there are multiple distinct versions of a single model and you want us to just have had some arbitrarily decided, by you, number of how many of that one model we should have tried? Balderdash
   

The thing is, everyone's bike journey is a journey. A personal one. Might be 2 bikes and that's it. Might be 50 and still looking. But I also know that it's not in a vacuum; we can only buy the bikes that the bike industry in making (outside customs, of course). So to have you caveat your "request" with you're just "curious" and "This is not market research" while simultaneously attacking probably the majority of us saying we aren't normal, smacks of ignorance and navel gazing at best. A lot of us having been following Grant and Rivendell's (or Bridgestone, but I personally do not go back that far) exploration of what a bike can be for a while now; we're curious and may not always agree with the choices, but are interested in Rivendell's progression and what it means on the ride. And yeah, a lot of us are also curious in similarly minded brands: Crust, Jones, Skylar, Slug, Surly, customs. Happy to discuss that. But just stop with the posturing, wrong room my dude.

[Marc Irwin]

After I bought my Hunqapillar, I HAD to have the lighter faster version so I bought a Sam Hillborne.

Marc

[Brian Turner]

Maybe I’m reading the room wrong, but I definitely did not get a sense that the OP was “attacking” us, or saying we aren’t normal.

That was an unnecessarily aggressive response, my dude.

Brian
Lex KY

[Dorothy C]

As someone who currently owns five bikes, all Rivs and has helped relatives get another four, and has sold two, the OP’s comment made me laugh. I wasn’t offended at all. 

Once I bought an Appa in May 2017, I got rid of my other two bikes ( a Scott and an Electra) and replaced them, and more, with Rivs. 

I have received a Valentine’s card from the Riv crew and I know many other Rivsister friends have gotten cards too, just a sweet gesture from them, nothing sinister. 

[ascpgh]

I got my Rambouillet in 2002 to avoid what I perceived as the rabbit hole of a custom. Grant egged me on with the under-squareness (top tube < seat tube) of the geometry, the slight upslope of the top tube, and the 2cm upper extension of the head tube, which suited my "freak of nature" dimensions. My legs are longer than stock geometry accommodates for my height, so most stock bikes I'd tried or bought turned into cobbling experiments with mixed results. That bike fit right out of the box, and I rode it for 15 years without looking back.

As my riding took me places accessible from my door, since I don't relish taking my bike for a ride, to go on a ride, I started to develop a list of wants I would like on my bike. Wider tires to accommodate rougher surfaces while being smooth and comfortable, and fenders to keep my available riding days up. That inspired me to get the Paul Racer brakes. At the max fit, 32mm, I still had to pump my rear tire to a pretty high number to avoid rim pinches because the bike, which was never touted as more than a sport tourer, it handles its light load capacity best at the rear. Hanging that 15-20# on the saddle with a Bagman support demanded the inflation that made my overnight to 5-day CC trips on the GAP rougher rides than seemed necessary, but rim pinches accompanied every attempt to lower ithat nflation pressure. 

My list was clarified by the 20-year mark with my Rambouillet. Bigger tires, under fenders, a more balanced (F-R) load distribution, so I don't have exaggerated inflation differences of F-R tires, but still, the ride I was conditioned to by Rivendell. A generator hub and wired-in lights, too. Maybe the braking force of the Racers tipped the design, but my seatstay bridge brazing broke in March as the riding was coming into season, necessitating a frame repair that would forever mar the Joe Bell orangesicle paint job. Nine months wait and $1200 was not in my plans since it wouldn't add anything on my wishlist, but would take my bike out of use for the season. Instead, I had a local builder rebraze the bridge at the stock position and created an ivory "panel" on the seat stays with rattle can paint and clear coat. Seen in most of my post-Paul Rambouillet pictures.

Grant did not think 650B was a good choice for my frame size, but I was concerned about toe overlap with shorter top tubes on fendered 700c-wheeled bikes that otherwise solved my fit, load, and riding expectations. Through a friend, I met Johnny Coast and did the custom thing, from my perspective, which was to present my needs, my riding (not Walter Mitty dreams of what I'll do), and how I came to all this (including a video my wife shot of me riding my Rambouillet). Then I let the chef do the cooking. 

What I got is a 650B x 42mm Rando bike. I got my front loading via low trail, which also reduced my toe-overlap with the greater curve of the lower fork legs. I have a 15L Ruthworks custom rando bag sitting on a custom front rack, stabilized with the integral decaleur connection with the custom stem for my cargo, which equals the Carradice Nelson Longflap on my Rambouillet. The SON SL hub sends power without wires to the bike to power the seat tube-mounted tail light (protected by the seat stays) and the rack-mounted hanging Edelux.

Very Rivendell-driven, but additionally forged by the experiences of my riding and having previously fit myself to stock offerings.  

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

On Monday, October 6, 2025 at 4:53:29 PM UTC-4 Michael Morrissey wrote:

[ascpgh]

P.S.- I never got a card from Rivendell,  but when I was a Bridgestone dealer, I did get jellybeans from Grant's pocket at the last Interbike in Anaheim, a '91 MB-0 and a '93 XO-2 at "garage sale" pricing. 

I did send them a postcard of my Rivendell from the MyPostcard app after their participation at the Philadelphia Bike Expo.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh

[aeroperf]

I got a Sam in 2014.  I love that bike.
Then I wanted a bike to learn to wrench on, so I got an ’82 Team Fuji, because you don’t just tear apart a Rivendell to learn to lace wheels, replace a drive train, etc.  Sold the Fuji after I reworked it, because a road bike didn’t really work for me.
What I wanted was a medium touring bike.  So I got a Soma Saga Disc frame and built it up from there.  I still have this one, with a Tongsheng electric conversion.
Finally, my wife needed a new bike, so I circled back to Rivendell and got a Platypus frame.  Since by then I knew how to fit the bike to the person, I built it up exactly sized for her.  She really loves it.

[John Johnson]

My pre-Rivendells were all Bridgestones (I think over time an RB-2, a couple 400s, a couple MB-1s, an MB-2, two XO-1s, and an XO-2 all passed through my hands). I still have some of those. 

Then I got a Clem L for the type of riding I do now (mostly offroad, some commuting, some touring). I love the Clem and it's a keeper. It's a capable allrounder, but has its limits as a mountain bike. 

So I wanted a rigid mountain bike and I got a Jones SWB. It's perfect. It is the kind perfectly executed idea that encourages no experimenting with different setups (handlebars, etc). Which gets kind of boring if you like working on/changing up things on your bikes (which, I for one, do). 

My wife liked the Jones so much, I ended up ceding it to her and I got a Black Mountain La Cabra, which is pretty close geometry-wise to the Jones (I've got it set up with 27.5 x 2.8 tires and swept back bars, much like the Jones). 

I love the Clem, but I also the Jones and the La Cabra - and I like that they overlap in some ways but there's a lot difference to appreciate (disc brakes, and ridiculous big tires, tall stack and short reach). 

cheers,

John (outside Fontainebleau)

[J S]

After, is there really an after, all but one have been Rivendells, 11 or so, plus 1 Bridgestone RB1.

On Monday, October 6, 2025 at 4:53:29 PM UTC-4 Michael Morrissey wrote:

[David Hays]

After starting with a Bridgestone XO-5 I picked up from a friend, I bought an H. Homer Hilsen 56cm 650B I believe from the Taiwanese builds that used to cost $2400.

Love than bike and still have it. Thus began my love of 650B and wider tires.

I read somewhere where Grant admired Mercians. I can’t remember where but ended up picking up a 1983 Mercian King of Mercia from my local Craiglist and converting it to 650B. I then bought two more used Mercians converting them to 650B and eventually had Mercian build me a new 650B bike for my 70th birthday present too me.

Since I’m bought an Appaloosa and a Crust Romanceur.

My favorites in order are probably the 2020 Mercian, the Crust and the Homer.

David

 

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[Bill Lindsay]

Tell us more about this hypothetical rule.  Or what you mean by "go to". 

You've got an Appaloosa that is 9 years old.  Does your new hypothetical life rule require you to A. dispose of the Appaloosa and replace it with some other bike and do the same kinds of riding?  Or are you B. going to replace the Appaloosa and evolve the riding you are going to do?  Or are you going to C. buy another bike, keep the Appaloosa and add an additional kind of riding?  Or D. something else altogether?  Which of those four spins on your life rule would probably influence what you do.  

I think I'm the ruled-out population because I have a lot of bikes, including a few Rivendells.  The bike I've owned the longest is my 2009 Hillborne.  Buying that transformed my cycling life, to some extent, and my stable pivoted around that bike.  The bike that I "went to" after buying the Hillborne fit into slot C above.  I decided to expand the kinds of riding I did and bought a bike to enable that new category of cycling, and that was randonneuring.  (I subsequently did use my Hillborne for a few 200k and one 300k brevets, and it was excellent for that.). That rando-slot in my stable was filled with a 650B Waterford Hilsen, then a Rawland Stag, then a Norther Lyon, and now a custom Falconer (and a JPWeigle/Raleigh).  

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

[Roberta]

Over the course of  8 1/2 years, I’ve had four Rivendell‘s and still own three of them— Homer Hilsen, Platypus, and Betty Foy.  I really enjoyed the first few years riding my Joe Appaloosa, but being that I wasn’t a touring or off-road kind of rider I passed that on.  (I have limited storage space or else would’ve kept the Appaloosa.)

I’ve purchased  and sold a handsome cycles she Devil mixte for my bike commuting years (Betty Foy replaced that one), and a Bike Friday for travel. 

I don’t imagine to be buying any more bikes as I can ride Riv bikes in comfort without agonizing neck pain.  I still do though love to window shop their frames! 

Roberta 

On Monday, October 6, 2025 at 4:53:29 PM UTC-4 Michael Morrissey wrote:

[Brady Smith]

I bought my Roadini as a frame off list and built it up with whatever I had around. Best bang for your buck road bike I could imagine. I don't think I'll ever part with it. 

My next bikes have been very different: 

A Specialized Fuse hardtail. I live in Utah. I've ridden my La Cabra on plenty of singletrack, but I do like suspension, and that 32-51 low gear is nice on days when I have tired legs and want to get out anyway. 

A 2024 Urban Arrow Family e-Cargo bike. It was time to buy a second car, or buy this, so I chose the bike. Fits a lively Jack Russell and a 9yo child just fine. I moved boxes on it when we moved recently. Will carry an adult with no real penalty in terms of handling. Plus the belt drive means no chain grease or chain drop, both of which I found irritating on my older long tail bike. 

I still find myself daydreaming about an Atlantis, though I admit I have no real use for one. 

Brady in SLC

[Jason Fuller]

The bikes that I tend to be interested in are the ones that are designed and produced by people who know exactly what they want from a bike and are not influenced by popular trends. Obviously Rivendell is a prime example, but there are other similar sized brands out there operating the same way. The most pertinent example for me is Stooge Cycles out of the UK producing fat tire trail bikes that the owner, Andy, wanted to see in the world. While I am happy to ride my two Rivendells well into the woods, in all sorts of weather, what Andy is producing bridges the gap perfectly between Rivs and modern MTBs for me. They are rigid, use establish standards, but are capable enough to ride steep and technical MTB trails.  

I also appreciate Black Mountain Cycles and Stridsland for the same reason: run by a single person who has a very clear vision for what they like to ride. While I don't have a bike designed by either of them at this time, I do have a Crust Wombat which was designed by Garrett at Crust Bikes, and this bike exudes the same qualities: it's absolutely a no-compromise expression of the designers' vision, regardless of marketability, and the ride experience is better for it. It took me almost a year to fully appreciate it, but now it's irreplaceable. 

[Will Mill]

Going back to the OP, what a fun thought experiment. For me, after the 2004 Rambouillet, I've come full circle (cue "Circle of Life" from Lion King) and landed on a 1994 Bridgestone RB-T.  As I wrote on iBOB, "wow... just wow."   This probably deserves its own post another time (62cm Ram vs. 62cm RB-T), but after a long 20-year quest* I’ve found the RB-T to come closest to my ideal of a drop-bar all-rounder that sees way more pavement than gravel: effortless acceleration, moving naturally with my cadence, and intuitive handling at any speed. YMMV, of course.

*That quest took this road: 64cm Ram > 62cm Ram (ah, better) > 62cm Quickbeam > VO Campeur > VO Rando Mk1 > 61cm Crust Lightning Bolt 650b > 60cm VO Polyvalent Mk3 650b > 62cm Bridgestone RB-T.

The Crust is up for grabs on eBay if anyone's interested: https://ebay.us/m/gTeRzD

Cheers,

Will M in NY