Old bike day — the last ride of the Hunq

[Jay Lonner]

A bittersweet milestone today, since after today’s commute I’ll be stripping down my Hunqapillar in preparation for moving it along to its new home. I bought it new in 2013 and it’s proven to be a versatile and reliable workhorse for touring, utility, and commuting. For a long time it was my only ride, but I now have more specialized bikes for travel, bikepacking, roadie aspirations, and various flavors of rough stuff.

I’m preparing to take delivery of a Hunq-inspired but decidedly non-Riv custom, so this weekend I’ll boxing up the Hunq for the next stage of its journey. Bellingham, WA will be down a Rivendell, but Fairhope, AL will gain one, so balance is maintained and the circle of life spins on.

After 20+ years of Rivendell ownership I was facing the prospect of being without one, but then last summer I lucked into a Gus. It’s quickly become a favorite, so I get to maintain my affiliation with the RBW group in good conscience. My GP/Riv journey has taken me from XO-1 to Rambouillet to Hunqapillar to Gus Boots-Willsen — whether it ends there remains to be seen.

Anyway, attached find a few photos commemorating my stewardship of this remarkable machine.

Jay Lonner
Bellingham, WA

[NYCbikeguy]

Hey Jay,

What a sweet tribute to a sweet ride. From the looks of it, the hunq has seen a good share of adventure under your ownership! I can imagine you didn't want to split the attention between your Hunq and Gus, just like one shouldn't propose to their SO at someone else's wedding (haha), but I'd love to see some pics of the Gus and see which motifs from the Hunq transferred over to your Gus! Maybe in another post if you want to keep it under wraps from the Hunq??

Best,

IY

NYC/CT

[Steven Sweedler]

How about a little info about the new custom even if it isn’t a Rivendell. 

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25F8E34C-1A7D-4459-82E6-813B63239E24%40gmail.com.



--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25F8E34C-1A7D-4459-82E6-813B63239E24%40gmail.com.



--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25F8E34C-1A7D-4459-82E6-813B63239E24%40gmail.com.



--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25F8E34C-1A7D-4459-82E6-813B63239E24%40gmail.com.

Sent from my Atari 400

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/25F8E34C-1A7D-4459-82E6-813B63239E24%40gmail.com.

[Jay Lonner]

I hope to get the Gus out for a ride this weekend — among other things it will be a test of the new 1x12 drivetrain featuring a Vivo Enduro rear derailleur and F3 shifter (www.vivocycling.com). I’ll grab some pictures if the opportunity presents itself.

The new custom is built around a Pinion P18 transmission with Gates carbon belt drive. The gnarliest, dirtiest miles that I log over the course of a year occur during my winter commute, and it takes a real toll on the drivetrain. I’m hoping that the Pinion/Gates combo simplifies my maintenance hassles. Other non-Riv-approved features include disk brakes and internal wiring for lights. Attached find a photo from the builder showing the nearly-complete bike. The paint is a match for that of a much-loved 1968 VW Beetle that I drove for many years. I’ll share more info over on the internet-bob list once I have the bike in my hands, which I’m expecting to be within the next week or so (just waiting on some custom bags). 

Jay Lonner

Bellingham, WA

Sent from my Atari 400

On Mar 7, 2025, at 9:26 AM, Steven Sweedler <swee...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CALimyfL3U7LLR4mKtCdKHTttr%2BU8igkMjYqH6FwBnes%2BKRn_qw%40mail.gmail.com.

[John Bokman]

Looks sweet Jay! What wheel size is this?

John

Oregon

[Josh C]

Love it. 

[R. Alexis]

Your Hunq looks nice. New ride looks nice also. I had the opportunity to chat with the mechanic from Pinion last summer at the second gig. They shipped and had reassembled their bikes at the REI store prior to RAGBRAI. I think they were all or mostly all using Pinion's electronic shifting and he was hoping that things would work well since he was possibly the only mechanic rolling with the team. I think this may have been them beta testing the set up. Hope all goes well with the new ride. 

Also, I too would like to see pics of the Gus Boots-Wilson when you get around to it.

Thanks,

Reginald Alexis

[Ryan]

love the color of that new Bantam...hand-brazed frame?