It's a Bombadil

[Joe Bernard]

I finally finished it! Its a 52cm Toyo, early parallel-tube version (the one I like). No paint, which was an interesting experience for a notorious paint panicker as I was working. I can't scratch it! 😂

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zoKtKnW1Bnxoz1qg8

Joe Bernard 

[kim young]

My nieces are visiting and started driving me kinda nuts. So I bribed them to watch for bombadils in my feed. They don’t really know what that is, so overhearing their discussion was interesting. 

Anyways, they just came running out with the urgent news!

Lol 

that frame alone is pretty amazing to begin with, but with those pristine components- It’s truly one of a kind. so inspired! 

🙏 

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[Joel]

Beautiful bike Joe.  Enjoy it.  

[Mike Godwin]

Wow nice. Skewered with Paul's? Nice bit of color.

Mike SLO CA

[Andrew Letton]

Looks great, Joe! Enjoy the ride!

One question: are you certain that it is Toyo-built? My 60cm early 2TT Bombadil was built by Waterford. What is the serial number format on yours; that may tell us something. (Mine is L080xx. Built in L=12=December of '08.)  Does anyone else recall the history of when/where the Bombadils were built?

2009 Rivendell Bombadil

2009 Rivendell Bombadil Explore this photo album by letton on Flickr!

cheers,

Andrew in Sydney

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[Joseph Bernard]

Indeed, I had them around and thought the gold would brighten up the raw-finish frame a bit. 

Kim and Joel, thanks!

Kim, why are you looking for Bombadils?

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[Joseph Bernard]

Good call, Andrew, the seller said Toyo but my numbers look like yours. The first letter is hard to decipher but I think it's V=5=May then 09..must be a Waterford. I'm ok with this!

Your Bombadil is sooooo nice. 

[Roberta]

Looks nice. I didn’t realize no paint until you commented. Does it have any type of finish? Let’s hope the fires die down soon and you can ride.

[Ash]

Very nice colorJoe!

Questions.  What are those luxurious looking grips?  Which handlebar bag is that?

[Jim M.]

Lovely, Joe! Did it come that shiny, or did you sandblast and recoat?

This is from Reader 39 talking about the prototypes:

I was told my proto-Bomba (double top-tube) is Toyo built. I didn't know any were Waterford built.

jim m

walnut creek

[lconley]

My tentacled 2014 Bombadil was built by both Waterford and Nobilette. The lugged diagatube frame and fork were done by Waterford and the tentacles were fillet brazed by Nobilette on its way to the west coast.

Laing

Delray Beach FL

[kim young]

Oh sry that was confusing.  not for me 

(I was just excited about yours. Dude It’s the best !).  

So I had made a short list of scavenger hunt projects for my nieces and ‘find a bombadil’ was one of their tasks. I gave them a final hint to check my inbox and .... bonus !! 

Thx for posting

 :)

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[Alberto Robador]

Wow Andrew, can you tell us more about that stem?! Looks rad!

[Joseph Bernard]

Thanks Roberta! The air is clear today so I'm going to get out there and finally find out how my bike feels, I haven't even ridden it since it came to me with dropbars that were waaaay too far away to reach. 

Answers to several folk's questions, hopefully I'll remember them all:

The finish is clearcoat over raw steel. Riv did a run of frames this way in the late-'00s, then probably got tired of people worrying about rust forming and got out of that game. I see a few rust spots here and there but nothing alarming and the bike has been in use at least 10 years, I think it'll be fine here in sunny/fiery California. If I ride it lots and like it lots I may eventually invest in pretty paint, but it's about to get fendered, racked and bagged as a shopping bike; I'm probably better off with the "can't scratch paint that's not there" vibe. 

Grips are from Jones Bikes, clear is the softer of the two they make. I cut off about an inch to get them to fit the Loscos. 

Bag is a special "camera bag" (I don't have a camera) made by RandiJoFab for Rivelo a couple years ago. 

Stuff I swapped in after receiving: Shorty Sugino cranks (152), XT fd, Nitto Losco on Nitto HiRiser, Paul levers and Moon Units, Microshift thumbies reversed because I use the rear on the left for my "good" hand, dem grips, dat mirror, Paul gold skewers. The rest was there when I bought it. 

Oh and a new bottom bracket. JL and I both recently went through the business of removing old stuck Shimano cartridges and isn't that fun?! 

Joe Bernard 

On Wed, Sep 23, 2020, 2:51 AM Roberta <rcha...@gmail.com> wrote:

Looks nice. I didn’t realize no paint until you commented. Does it have any type of finish?  Let’s hope the fires die down soon and you can ride.

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[Andrew Letton]



Hi Alberto,

:-) Yeah, I get a lot of comments about that stem...

My first mountain bike was an '84 bottom-of-the-line Univega Land Rover Sport, and over the decade plus that I rode it, I gradually replaced every part but the frame, seatpost QR, and the thumbshifters. In that quest to make a silk purse of a sow's ear, in about '89 I brazed up a new fork and this stem, which was inspired by the Moulton spaceframe designs: small tubes and triangles. A friend (Paul Atwood of BikeE and Roots-in-the-Sky fame) had given me the SR titanium handlebar, and the stem was designed to match the width of the straight center section of that bar. I don't remember the numbers, but I do recall that the stem ended up slightly lighter than similarly sized stems of the day and the bar and stem combination took literal pounds off the bike, compared to the massive bullmoose bar that was on it. When I ordered the Bombadil in '09, I sent the stem to Rivendell to be painted by D&D, along with the frame. The good folks at Riv were initially concerned about the strength/reliability of the stem and generously offered me a deal on a Nitto stem in its stead, but when I told them I had been riding it on and off for 20+ years, they (perhaps reluctantly; I'll never know) went ahead and painted it with the Bombadil. The Univega is long gone; given to a friend who turned it into a single speed shop bike, but the stem, handlebar, and those Suntour ratchet shifters live on as one of the three cockpits that I periodically swap in and out of my Bombadil. Over the past year, the Bombadil's primary duty has been in introducing our son Zane to the glorious world of cycling. The attached photo was taken a year ago, on Zane's first ride, at ten months old. Perhaps I'll pass the stem and Bombadil on to him one day...

Cheers,

Andrew in Sydney

On Thursday, September 24, 2020, 03:57:34 AM GMT+10, Alberto Robador <arob...@gmail.com> wrote:

Wow Andrew, can you tell us more about that stem?! Looks rad!

On Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 9:36:52 PM UTC-7 Andrew Letton wrote:

Looks great, Joe! Enjoy the ride!

One question: are you certain that it is Toyo-built? My 60cm early 2TT Bombadil was built by Waterford. What is the serial number format on yours; that may tell us something. (Mine is L080xx. Built in L=12=December of '08.)  Does anyone else recall the history of when/where the Bombadils were built?

2009 Rivendell Bombadil

2009 Rivendell Bombadil Explore this photo album by letton on Flickr!

cheers,

Andrew in Sydney

On Wednesday, September 23, 2020, 11:48:08 AM GMT+10, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

I finally finished it! Its a 52cm Toyo, early parallel-tube version (the one I like). No paint, which was an interesting experience for a notorious paint panicker as I was working. I can't scratch it! 😂

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zoKtKnW1Bnxoz1qg8

Joe Bernard 

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.

[Andrew Letton]

Here's a photo of the stem we're talking about, in case anyone's curious:

IMG_0025

IMG_0025 Explore letton's photos on Flickr. letton has uploaded 277 photos to Flickr.

Cheers,

Andrew in Sydney

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[Roberta]

Andrew,

Zane looked like he’s having a great time. He’s adorable! What handlebars are on this bike?

Joe,

I’m looking forward to to hearing of your ride.

Roberta

[Andrew Letton]

Thanks Roberta!

Yes, Zane enjoyed (and continues to enjoy) riding on the bike with me since that very first ride. Happy Papa!

That cockpit is the 58cm Bosco bar on a 12cm Nitto lugged stem.

cheers,

Andrew

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[Joseph Bernard]

I rode it, the verdict is in, it's a great bike! I can't give any specifics of ride quality because it just feels like a Riv to me: stable yet turns on a dime, kinds floaty and zingy. Honestly it feels like a slightly shorter version of my custom, which makes sense because the built-for-me frame was spec'd pretty close to the Bombadil's mission. 

Even the riding position is nailed right off the bat, which I find hilarious. I plopped the bars and stem I had in there and set the saddle height and it's perfect! 

Here's a couple of sunny pics so you can see the raw metal better. Check out that gusset under the downtube, I don't think any other Riv came with it. 

Joe Bernard

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[Joseph Bernard]

[kim young]

  Slightly shorter version of your custom - sounds perfect. What a score.

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[Jason Fuller]

Can I call dibs now if you decide to sell it in the future, Joe?   :D 

I adore this frame, such a unique and neat point in time for Rivendell. 

[Joseph Bernard]

Hehe, the line is getting long with people who've told me that, Jason. This happened to the seller, too: people were calling him with over-price offers as he was packing it up for me! 😁

On Fri, Sep 25, 2020, 11:38 AM Jason Fuller <jtf.f...@gmail.com> wrote:

Can I call dibs now if you decide to sell it in the future, Joe?   :D 

I adore this frame, such a unique and neat point in time for Rivendell. 

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[Joseph Bernard]

" Slightly shorter version of your custom - sounds perfect. What a score."

It's really nice, Kim, and I'll bet there's traces of the design in your Susie. It's a Hillibike! 

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[Paul Richardson]

easy on the eyes, for sure.

thanks for posting the pics.

paul

takoma park, md.

[Alberto Robador]

Thanks for sharing, Andrew! Beautiful family picture too!!!