A Pumpkin Platypus, Perchance?

[Heather Hayes]

Happy New Year to my fellow Platy people! I know I’m late to the Platy party, but I just wanted to introduce myself and my Pumpkin Platypus. We’re so honored to be here among the esteemed RBW Owners Bunch! I’ve been a lurking wallflower on the forum for a while, and have so enjoyed watching the reveals of all your lovely builds!

Though I initially had my heart set on a mermaid Platypus when they first went live back in April, the online order form had other ideas. I cracked my knuckles, hovered over the purchase button, then clicked BUY NOW with the authority of a seasoned judge pounding a gavel… but my mermaid selection auto-changed to limeolive, dashing my aqua-colored dreams. There was nary a 50cm mermaid to be found anywhere. No offense to the lovely limeolive, but as a graphic designer, having a color I personally LOVED was very important to me! Reframing crisis as opportunity, I decided to repaint the frame a custom color. Pea soup to pumpkin bisque instead, please!

After many, many, MANY nail-biting months of waiting, the newly painted frame finally arrived. I carefully unwrapped my brand new Pumpkin Platy with the same awe and enthusiasm of the father in A Christmas Story unpacking his beloved leg lamp. (Though thankfully Rivendells are MUCH sturdier!) ;)

My Platy mainly enjoys conquering steeper terrain here in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of Asheville, NC, but still loves adventuring near aquatic habitats as well. Here on the forum, the swoopy elegance of this frame has aptly been likened by Leah to that of a prom dress. Set up as a gravel grinder, I wanted this badass bike to sport combat boots underneath the sparkly orange gown. (She’s a gorgeous prom queen, but you're also kind of afraid she'll kick you in the shins!) 

My sweet RBW blue Cheviot townie now has a fierce and fiery friend by her side, and I love having not one but two Rivendells to *JUST RIDE!* 

[Yankeebird]

The Fastest Color.

Who did the paint work? Saving the decals, nice touch, plus what appears to be a raised physical RBW badge on the seatpost...?

Congratulations on this!

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Oh, Heather! I was just heading to bed and read your post and now I’m too excited to sleep. Are we sisters? We might be sisters. RivSisters, yes, obviously, but maybe long-lost sisters, too. All your details are not lost on me. I see you with your wonderfully executed PlatyPose. I see your down vest in complementary pumpkin and coral. I feel your exuberance in your lovely, descriptive writing style and ballgown/combat boot analogies. We just “met” and I already adore you. And finally - you also have two Riv mixtes?!? Yes, we are sisters. (Actually I really do have a sister named Heather.)

The pumpkin bisque color (apparently we also have gourmet food in common): it is out of this world lovely. Luscious. Please, please send us more photos and of your pretty blue Cheviot townie, too. Do they ride any differently, or are they pretty similar? What made you want a second one? I have so many curiosities, if you are inclined to chat about them…

Heartbreak: I remember the Platy Launch Day so well. The heartbreak was palpable. Who knew this would be the bike that would sell out in mere minutes? Men and women both clamoring for them. I’m so glad you got one, even if the color was wrong. 

Now it is exactly right. 

Please don’t be a stranger on this forum. You are delightful. I am so happy for you and it is so good to see a Platy in a new color.

Leah

On Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 8:39:23 PM UTC-5 Heather Hayes wrote:

[Paul Clifton]

Wow, that's a perfect bike - everything about it! For me, in particular, beside the color, it's the bar tape, the triple crank with a small cassette, and the continental King tires - it all creates a bike that looks like it is for riding!

What bar tape and rack are those?

Congratulations on the very cool new bike!

Paul in AR

[lucky...@gmail.com]

Ok I have to chime in and say I really like the way the tires up the gnar factor on this bike. 

On Jan 2, 2022, at 17:39, Heather Hayes <hhayes...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Patrick Moore]

Very nice!

Is this a rare setup with Albastache (I think it's that) instead of more sweepback bars?

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Patrick Moore

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

[Gill]

Lovely pictures of a sharp looking bike set in a really nice neck of the woods. I happen to have just returned from the area and while I enjoyed the visit I couldn’t shake the feeling everyone in Asheville was way cooler than me. Your introductory post has served to strengthen this view. Look forward to future ride reports.

On Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 8:39:23 PM UTC-5 Heather Hayes wrote:

[Heather Hayes]

Thank you all so much for the supportive feedback! You really know how to make an introvert who prefers lurking to posting feel welcome! 

Yankeebird, the fastest color indeed! Rick Stefani worked with Rivendell on the repaint and did a marvelous job. I asked for "extra sparkle" and she glistens in the sun beautifully! *chef's kiss!* The orange does look different in every single picture I've taken though, like the color itself is a shape-shifter. The decals are new and have a darker blue inside the letters.

Paul, thank you so much! The rack is the Nitto R10. The bar tape actually came long before the bike (I bought it in April of 2020 after falling in love at first sight) and it's probably the main reason a second bike even came to fruition, ha. It's Uncle Art's Wool Handlebar Tape from Analog, which they no longer seem to carry. This is a shame because it's so unique, and also because the wholesome story they wrote about it on their website was fantastic. It didn't match my blue Cheviot at all, so I started thinking I REALLY needed an orange bike someday to go with this perfect tape! It patiently waited, coiled up neatly in a box until that magical day arrived... In the meantime, I sent Will at Rivendell my "visioning board" featuring the color I wanted via Photoshop mockup alongside the tape, to explain just WHY it was aesthetically imperative to immediately sandblast off a brand new limeolive paint job, eek!

Lucky, your comment means so much to me, THANK YOU! More than anything, I wanted gnar factor tires! (These were the biggest ones that would fit the frame, or I would have gone even gnarlier.) ;) 

Patrick, yes! These are Albastache bars, courtesy of Huston Combs who sold them to me here on the forum. I really like how much more room they provide. A 50cm frame felt very cramped for me with swept-back bars. I initially tried Boscos on my Cheviot and felt so crunched, then switched to Chocos instead. For gravel rides (and some singletrack if I'm feeling brave) I really feel like I have great reach, control, and the ability to "thread the needle" around rocks/roots/ruts, etc. with the Albastache bars.   

Gill, thank you! Asheville itself is a very cool place indeed and I feel so fortunate to live here. However, nerd alert, I spend most of my time avoiding all those cool people, at home with my two Rivs and pack of misfit rescue Chihuahuas while rewatching Seinfeld. 

And LEAH! Thank you so very much for your kind words and RivSISTER-sisters indeed! Foodie, check. Double mixtes, check check. Signature Platy colors, check check check! I'm happy to finally "meet" you officially and join the adventures of the traveling RivSisters. I've lived vicariously through your posts since the very first murmurings of the fancy Cheviot began. I also thought of you recently when I had to buy touch-up paint for my beloved new Platy, and found the perfect matching nail polish for any future (gasp!) beausage that may occur, and of course, proceeded to paint my nails orange to celebrate the matchy-matchiness with my new bike! :) Glad I managed to pull off the #PlatyPose without grimacing because it was a lot heavier than everyone else made it seem, whew! My Cheviot is the first REAL bike I ever owned, and at first, we rode everywhere and did all the things! But I soon realized that she was very out of her element with slick tires and a wicker basket "shredding" down mountain bike trails. (Though the surprised looks we received from *actual* mountain bikers was entertaining, I confess.) I soon realized that the Chev was perfect for a quick trip up the street to the market, a jaunt over to a neighborhood restaurant, or cruising around on a beach vacation, but I wanted a different setup with more grit and ideally a little longer chainstay for gravel grinding. Not being a fan of top tubes, another mixte seemed like the only way to go. I will find some photos of my still-very-special Cheviot to share if I'm allowed to brag on her too within my Ode to the Platypus. :)

[Garth]

Love the sparkly Pumpkin !!!  Choosing your own paint is priceless isn't it ?  Admittedly I've been burned out on all the Riv blues(blahs) and greens regardless of the shade so this is quite sunshiningly refreshing. Love the cantilevers and to me at least a "classic" 3x drivetrain where you can move a whole lotta gear with the lightest of touch. 

Since you're here Heather, you can't be late , ever !  

On Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 8:39:23 PM UTC-5 Heather Hayes wrote:

[Wally Estrella]

Wow! Such a great looking bicycle!  Love, love, love the color! I have an orange Quickbeam.  I've been meaning to get it repainted, and was considering a green, BUT everything I see another orange Riv, I say "NOPE! ORANGE IT'LL REMAIN!"

Continue to JUST RIDE!

On Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 8:39:23 PM UTC-5 Heather Hayes wrote:

[Ryan]

Love the colour...interesting about bar choice, too. I have chocos on my mixte .My first thought was moustache/albastaches but after talking to Grant went with the chocs on his recommendation. I have been riding moustaches for ...almost 30 years and love them ...starting with my 93 X0-1. But, enough about me. Nice bike! Nice colour! Do show us your Cheviot!

 Investing in a +1 Rivendell is never a bad thing IMHO and I really can't think of very  many other things you can  say that about nowadays.

[Roberta]

Welcome to the group and to being a RivSister!  You Pumpkin Bisque bike is beautiful and I loved reading your story about it.  I visited Asheville perhaps 20 years ago and your pictures reminded me how lovely it is (and was), with the Platy setting off the beautiful scenery (or it it the other way around?!).

Miles of smiles (your expression tells it all).

Roberta

On Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 8:39:23 PM UTC-5 Heather Hayes wrote:

[Laura]

Hi Heather,

I am that nut at Bent Creek who called out, A PLATYPUS!!!! It was a chance encounter with Heather and Joel that got me to seriously consider a Rivendell bike. I went from casual browser to serious dreamer! It is great to see a few pics and recognize beautiful places around town. You did a great job building up a wonderful bike.

I am also inclined to lurk in the background online, especially since I am Riv-less! Perhaps a Platypus is on my horizon…

[Leah Peterson]

RivSister Heather, 

Yes, yes, your blue Cheviot is welcome on this thread. Put those bikes side by side, even! I was thinking about your Pumpkin Platy and I remembered that there was a 2nd person that had a repaint done. He wanted a root beer color, and got it. It was accidentally seen in the background of one of Grant’s Blahg photos. That makes 3 Platys that I know of that are not mermaid or limeolive. See here:

 

On Jan 3, 2022, at 11:15 AM, Laura <me2g...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[David Person]

Really nice, Heather.  Beautiful paint job and I love the looks of the cantilever brakes.  Very classic.  I've owned bike with V-brakes and know how well they perform, but have never warmed up to them from an aesthetic perspective.  Much prefer the lines of a nice set of cantilevers.

David 

[David Person]

Oh yes, and show us the Cheviot.

[upyou...@yahoo.com]

Well Hellooooooo #RivSister Heather,

Whoohooo!!!  I'm in love too.  This is fantastic and just knocks it out of the park for me.  Congratulations and keep the smiles for all the miles going.  

PS....nailed the PlatyPose!

Kate with the Mermaid Platy in Trenton

[Carl]

Hi Heather and everyone, I'm Platy-less, but am one of your Asheville neighbors and have a Clem L! Congrats on your new bike. It's beautiful! Happy trails, -- Carl

On Sunday, January 2, 2022 at 8:39:23 PM UTC-5 Heather Hayes wrote:

[Laura]

Carl, that is a beautiful Clem. Funny how different bikes look with the same colors. In my minds eye, a Susie is orange. I am not sure what color a Platypus is, but I definitely favor the grey and dark gold Clem’s.

[Carl]

Thanks Laura. Hope you're able to get a Riv sometime soon. Whichever model and color you end up with, they bring a lot of joy!

[Liz Tilton]

I love this thread…but perhaps I love most how wildly similar Leah and Heather are to one another. It makes me laugh.

I also love that Laura shouted out “A PLATYPUS!” to a total stranger. :)

Heather, your Platy is breathtaking (and Carl, your Clem L! I love that color)…I would be TERRIBLE at choosing my own color. Too many choices and too overwhelming for me…I’m envious that you’re clear what you want.

I’d love to know which rear bag you’re using in these images, Heather. I think it would fit my Clem L…my seat post is so short and the space between the seat and the rack is so shallow that not many bags seem to fit well. 

Liz

[David Person]

Well Laura, hope your Platypus dreams can be realized.

David

[Heather Hayes]

Thank you all so very much for your kind words and comments! It feels like my new Platy had a birthday party and everyone came to celebrate! :) 

Garth, thank you for the warm welcome despite my tardiness! I too love the 3x drivetrain, with the smaller jumps between gears keep the cadence more consistent. Such a smooth ride!

Wally, I second the motion to keep your Quickbeam orange! And there are just so many great oranges to choose from, you can't go wrong.

Ryan, glad to meet a fellow 'stache fan and I appreciate the affirmation that I DID in fact need another Rivendell! My first one in 2020 and my second one in 2021... at this rate, I better slow down! ;)

Roberta, thank you so much for the RivSister welcome! Asheville is so beautiful and there's so much exploring to do. I find myself riding certain trails repeatedly, like playing a favorite song over and over again on a piano in order to perfect the melody. But I need to break out and make new music in the endless landscape of these mountains!

Laura!! I'm so happy to "see" you again here on the forum! It made my whole day when you shouted out PLATYPUS!!! I skidded to a stop in astonishment, so surprised to meet a fellow Riv-enthusiast in the real world! So glad to hear that your notion, your inkling, your "what if" is now a dream (in color!) that will soon be the reality of Riv-ownership. I'm sure everyone here would be happy to do some enabling toward that very outcome! You won't regret it. Please keep us posted about your plans! 

Leah, I remember spying that root beer Platy peeking out from the periphery within the Blahg! Three color palette busting renegades, we are! 

David, thank you! These are my first cantis and I'm really liking them. Plus, the brake pads were orange, so how could I resist?? 

Kate, congratulations on scoring a Mermaid!!! I remember your #PlatyPose photo and your bike is a beauty. (Plus you made the bike hoisting look effortless! I was mumbling obscenities through my teeth while holding mine up, ha!) 

Carl, so nice to meet a fellow Ashevillian! I believe you may have seen a super-secret first-ever-taken photo of the initial build when my bike guru bestie sent a sneak preview, hehe. He said you were pleased and I was beaming with pride that my new Pumpkin Platy had received her very first compliment! :) I love the dark gold of your Clem, which looks especially regal in the snowy landscape.

Liz, finding a rear bag was also difficult for me due to lack of clearance over the tire. The bag on my Platy is a Nigel Smythe that I bought used from a fellow Riv rider locally and I'm in love with it almost as much as the bike. The scalloped leather closures fit so perfectly over the rounded, brassy studs that it gives the same satisfying pop of putting a final puzzle piece into place every time I latch it. I initially bought a Sackville BagBoy from Riv, but alas, it was too tall. If my calculations are correct, the new Sackville SlimSucker miiiight work for our clearance challenges!

I won't monopolize any more of your time this evening, but since I promised my Cheviot she would get to attend the Platy Party as a special guest, she will make her debut tomorrow. :) (She's rolling her eyes because her flashier sister is stealing the spotlight lately!) Thanks again, everyone! I'm grateful to join such a supportive community and love how Rivendells bring us all together, from strangers to fellow UNracers united! 

[Gill]

Ooh, Heather just so you know I’m going to casually use that music/trail analogy line in future conversations and you will go uncredited. 

[JAS]

Heather, welcome to this esteemed group and especially to the super classy RivSisters!  You've got a beautiful bike and I'm really happy for you.  I'm going to look forward to your reports of trail riding and how it handles.  Please tell us which tires you've shorn her with.  Also, I hope you'll post photos while riding amongst the fall foliage; can you just imagine that subtle pumpkin Platy camouflaged by a riot of autumn color?  

Carl, great Clem!  So cool that you got it out in the snow.  We had snow here recently, but my Clem tires are too smooth to try riding in it.  Which tires are you running?

#RivSisters,

Joyce

[Jason Fuller]

Holy moly I love that Platy. I was going to play the alliteration game too, but realized I can't compete.  This is the first I've seen with the Albastache bar, which looks excellent and I bet makes it feel pretty darn quick!  Now it's got me thinking... I'd love to see one with a drop bar on a short stem! 

[Heather Hayes]

Long story short, here’s photos of my Cheviot!

If you don't like lengthy, boring coming-of-age stories about bike riding, you've been warned to turn back now or skip ahead to the pictures below. :) But if you do, I'll share mine. The journey to discovering Rivendell and this beautiful Cheviot was a *completely* unexpected one…

Riding my bike as a kid was one of my favorite pastimes, from the hot pink Huffy with glittery tinsel streamers and a rose-patterned banana seat, to a lemon yellow beach cruiser with a saddle the size of a movie theatre recliner and playing cards clipped to the spokes with wooden clothespins. In college I “upgraded” the cruiser to a super cheap, maliciously-magenta Magna from Wal-mart. I biked to all my classes until someone cut the chain on the front porch of my dodgy neighborhood and stole my sweet ride. Its replacement was another Big Box cheapie, which got me where I needed to go until moving from fairly-flat Raleigh to the mountains of Asheville, where I couldn’t even make it up the first hill outside my front door on my single speed sarcophagus of a bike. It was relegated to the basement and started its sad new hobby of collecting dust.

Fast-forward 15 years. I hear about this magical place (beyond Middle Earth) called Rivendell from cycling-enthusiast friends. But I couldn't be a REAL cyclist, I'd be laughed off the road! Then I read JUST RIDE. Just @&!%ing ride!!! What an amazing book, outlook, philosophy. Ride like you’re a kid again. Have fun. Wear jeans. Be an UNracer. Who TF cares?! Beausage for life.

My Chev is the first bike I’ve ever owned that cost over $75, and the *priceless* result is rediscovering that I LOVE being on a bike again. (Plus, I went to the School of Design, so I appreciate all those gorgeous lugs as works of art!) Now, I can make it up those steep-ass hills, and I even seek them out for fun. A good gravel grind in the woods became my meditation. I was also thrilled to ride half a mile up to my neighborhood market for fresh bread and cheese to put in my Nantucket wicker basket. #NoRideIsTooShort 

The Cheviot has already evolved many times as I discovered what I wanted out of a bike. Cruising around only on beach vacations became more adventures in the forest. Boscos were traded in for Chocos. Rene Herse Switchback Hill smooth-treads were replaced with Juniper Ridge mini-knobbies. My beloved basket became less practical for most rides and made way for a front rack instead. I guess evolving, adapting, and dialing in those components is all part of the fun, right!?

I knew next to nothing about bikes two years ago. But after COUNTLESS hours spent perusing the Riv site, reading their catalog cover to cover, pouring over the Blahg, and following this forum to learn so much from all of you, a whole new world has opened up. Rivendell made bike riding accessible again, and literally changed the way I was living my life. I rediscovered that carefree kid on a bike, I'm beyond excited for all the adventures still to come!

[David Person]

Thanks for sharing your story.  Good on you for experimenting with different handlebars and tires.  I too am a big fan of Rene Herse tires, going back to their days as Compass tires.  Big fan of Choco bars too.  Have them on both my rides, having switched the Sam Hillborne from Albatross bars and liking the Choco's so much I used them when I built up my Surly this past August.

David

[lucky...@gmail.com]

My favorite part of everyone’s journey is always the many iterations their bike has gone through. My Atlantis journey has been similar, wish I could do one of those videos where it goes through every cockpit and tire change but I didn’t take as many pics pre-cellphone. 

Thanks for sharing! 

On Jan 4, 2022, at 10:28, Heather Hayes <hhayes...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Leah Peterson]

Oh Heather, we really are sisters. I have SUCH a similar story - never having a “nice” bike until I found Rivendell. Never fitting in with any group or class of rider and having to find my own way. I still have anxiety going into new bike shops thinking that they’ll laugh me out of the building or label me in some way or not believe I’m a “real” rider. I so, so empathize and thank you for telling us how you found your way. This is why the RivSisterhood is so important to me; we have so much to share with each other; it can be rough out there in the biking world, and it’s nice to have a supportive, warm group of women in your corner. I am here cheering for you from the woods of Michigan, loving your stories and adoring your bikes! Same for the rest of my lovely sisters out there! (Guys, I love you, too, but it’s just different with the Sisters.)

Now, speaking of the sisterhood, do you know about Pam Murray? She’s the famous Betty Foy rider (that bike predates your Cheviot and our Platypuses) with 60k+ miles and counting. She teaches Cycle Savvy in Charlotte, which is 130 miles from Asheville. I’d give my left rose-anodized brake lever to meet her in person, and here you are in her backyard! You should meet. Which makes me think: we need a Riv Sister Meet Up. I’d love to meet you girl in real life and hug your necks and kiss your bikes.

Thanks for taking the time to tell your story and share your bikes. I have relished every bit of it. Keep posting!

Leah

On Jan 4, 2022, at 1:29 PM, Heather Hayes <hhayes...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Ben Mihovk]

Like a lot of us here, I see a bunch of parallels in your journey to riding with my own. The thing that you mentioned from Just Ride that REALLY resonates with me is the idea of riding like you're a kid again. 

Ride on, Heather!

-Ben in Omaha (but who wishes he was in NC because he REALLY digs a few breweries and restaurants in Raleigh).

[Heather Hayes]

Leah, I couldn't agree more! It is so nice to finally be among fellow RivSisters here without judgement! Not long after getting my Cheviot, I went into a bike shop to look for a new helmet. As I glanced over at the plastic bikes hanging from the ceiling, the shop owner said in a patronizing voice, "Well, well, well, looks like sumbuddy's in the market for a brand new bicycle, huh miss?" I've never had a prouder moment in my life to respond, "Well, ACTUUUALLY, I just got a new bike. A Rivendell." The look on his face was priceless. After he collected his jaw from the floor, he replied, "YOU have a Rivendell?" "Yes, just outside. Would you like to see it?" "VERY MUCH SO!" Turns out, he was a super nice guy and a huge Riv fan. With newfound respect, he started talking about bikes with me like I was a real person and even showed me a Rivendell relic in the shop that he owned, a Heron. (Gorgeous headbadge!) 

When I first started searching for used Riv frames, I was desperately looking for a Betty Foy or a Wilbury. (I still remember the fabulous video you made to honor your Betty after selling her!) I did stumble across Pam's bike, but didn't make the connection that she was just down the mountain in Charlotte! That settles it... all the RivSisters need to convene and I'll be the first to offer up western NC as one possibility! (Road trip to meet Pam included!) 

Thanks again for being so welcoming! :) 

Thank you, Jason! And nice to meet you too, Joyce! The tires are Continental X-Kings and they have exhibited great grippy goodness so far!

Ben, as you can see from my "Tommy Voelker if he was 'shredding' a mountain trail" face, I'm very much embracing the fun of being a kid, and no longer taking biking too seriously. ;) After living in both places, if you ever visit Asheville you'll throw rocks at the restaurants in Raleigh, just saying! SO much delicious food here! 

[Joe Bernard]

Leah and Heather,

The similarities in your "how I got to Rivendell" stories are fascinating to me. I think it's a testament to the Riv vibe in general that your paths ended there, and specifically on mixtes. 

When the Glorius and Wilbury appeared in the mid-'00s, shortly followed by the lower-cost and easier to manufacture Betty Foy, I don't think any of us (or Riv) saw mixtes/step-throughs (droptube!) becoming a mainstream style in the market that everyone would ride. Now we have Cheviot and Platypus and Clem L and the Bike Snob guy rides a Platy. And there's my custom (I shout myself out here)! It's a whole new world! 

Heather your bikes are so rad! I dig the Albastache on your Platy, a bar I can't ride to save my life but they're SO cool. It's been great fun to read your story, welcome to the fray! 

Joe Bernard

[Sofie C]

Hello Heather, I just wanted to pop in here quickly to say hello and welcome! I adore your pumpkin platypus and the accessories you chose -- such wonderful taste! I'm a newbie here as well, having just purchased a lime 50 cm platypus when it popped up this fall on Riv's garage sale. I had been an admirer for about a decade and finally decided to take a chance on a Riv without ever riding one -- and it is just an unbelievably wonderful bike. This folks on this forum, especially the #rivsisters like Leah and Roberta, have been so warm, welcoming, and wonderfully supportive. So much so that I also have a new Clem Smith Jr. getting a dyno hub at my local bike shop. Hope to see you 'round here, and please share all the pics!

[Patrick Moore]

Another pretty bike and another very satisfied customer -- I don't think I've seen a bike company whose customers are as pleased and happy, or as vocally pleased and happy with their purchases.

Question: the frame looks blue in some photos, silver in others -- or is it just my mild color blindness? What is the "real" color?

The hot pink Huffy reminds me of the (rather nice, actually) cruiser I bought my daughter for her 10th (IIRC) birthday: she chose pink with white saddle, pedals, grips, and trim. Three or four years later I had to buy her another bike (though the cruiser still fit) because, "Daaaaad, it's piiiiiiiink!!!! 

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Patrick Moore

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

[David Person]

Back in the mid 2000's there was a blog called "Let's Go Ride a Bike".  The main poster was a woman named Dorothy and she rode a Betty Foy all over Chicago in all sorts of weather.  Sadly, her last post was back in 2015, but the site is worth a visit for inspiration.

https://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com/

[Heather Hayes]

Joe, thank you for the warm welcome!

Sofie, thanks for introducing yourself, and happy to meet another newbie! So glad you were able to score a 50cm Platy too and congrats on your new Clem!! I also purchased the Cheviot (the last one remaining on the site!) having never ridden a Riv before, but thankfully you and I were both handsomely rewarded in spades for our bravery. :) You'll have to join for the future converging of the RivSisters!

Patrick, both of my frame colors end up looking wildly different depending on the photo. But the Cheviot's true color is RBW blue. Attaching a photo here of it indoors, probably showing it most accurately. Didn't someone here once describe Riv's signature blue as sunshine glistening on the water? 

Speaking of blue, YOU GUYS, I completely forgot to share one of the most exciting Platy components EVER!!! As the grand finale of the Platy reveal, I present the blue platypus on a bike shirt!! My mom bought this for me, in anticipation of the mermaid-colored Platy. Even if it's not orange, it's still perfect.

A special shout out to my bike guru bestie, Gary, (pictured here for the special occasion of the inaugural Platypus ride) for not only convincing me that I needed a Rivendell (and then another Rivendell!) but also for helping me pick out all the parts AND building up my Platy! He has an Appaloosa, a Hunqapillar, a Saluki, and a stunning orange Rambouillet as part of his enviable Riv collection. If Rivendell ever opens another location on our side of the country, I nominate Gary to be east coast Grant. :D

[Roberta]

That shirt is priceless !  

[Marty Gierke, Stewartstown PA]

$32 priceless. 

Plat-T-shirt

They have all kinds of animals on bikes. Fun stuff. 

[Laura]

and stickers too!!! Got to love the Axolotl...!