“The Art of Taking it Slow” in The New Yorker

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Roberta

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Sep 16, 2024, 10:29:21 AM9/16/24
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It’s about Grant, Rivendell, philosophies, …. 

You can read one New Yorker article for free. 

Ben R

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Sep 16, 2024, 11:32:24 AM9/16/24
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dan!g you beat me to posting this!  its a good read and as a " mid 30s tattooed skater who rides in cut off dickies and vans" I was a little triggered to learn that I'm very "bird watching adjacent". 

IMG_4584.jpg

IMG_5005.jpg

Ben "little brother" R

Caroline Golum

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Sep 16, 2024, 12:24:46 PM9/16/24
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Can confirm the Riv to birding pipeline is real
Message has been deleted

Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!

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Sep 16, 2024, 1:19:35 PM9/16/24
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The writer made such gorgeous language out of it. Favorite quotes:

“But I felt, instead, a very adult sense of longing—as if I had just glimpsed, at a deeply inconvenient time, a new and appealing way to live.”

“Rivendell’s employees object to descriptions of the company’s following as cultlike. “The other stuff is the cult,” Keating told me.” 

“There was something romantic about the Rivendells. They made the other bikes on the road look mean.”

“The strength and fearlessness of the others filled me with an almost indescribable envy. What was it like to leave for a long ride at dusk—or cycle off into the woods with a sleeping bag, a patch kit, and some groceries—and be reasonably assured you’d have a great night? The world seemed divided between two types of people: those with a command of the physical world, and everyone else. The former had confidence, skill, and know-how; the rest of us had YouTube tutorials on removing anti-theft skewers.”
 ____________________________________________
This was a gorgeous piece of writing that rightly celebrates a brilliant man. I’m so happy for him. I’m sure he hates the attention.
Leah


Richard Rose

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Sep 16, 2024, 1:49:36 PM9/16/24
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Great read. Sadly I currently have a bad cold & it’s a lovely day. So I am just sitting here - enjoying the veritable bird paradise that is our property, wishing I was riding my bike. Maybe tomorrow.:)
Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 16, 2024, at 1:19 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

The writer made such gorgeous language out of it. Favorite quotes:
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Ryan

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Sep 16, 2024, 2:30:34 PM9/16/24
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Also a nice mention of BBDD, and the Platypi which she was too modest to mention...and I agree with Leah; it was very well-written.

Andrew Scherer

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Sep 16, 2024, 2:48:28 PM9/16/24
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I enjoyed these quotes:


"It was by far the longest, heaviest bicycle I had ever been on, and it moved with a surprising grace."

"...we crossed into the hills and started up a paved, curving road, toward the trail. The ground was littered with sardines..."


Andy

Patrick Moore

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Sep 16, 2024, 3:12:33 PM9/16/24
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This is a very good article. I am more than willing to deprecate New Yorker articles as dreary "preciousity" -- twee preciousness about trivialities (not all; they often do good in-depth reporting; same opinion about the NYT) -- but Wiener captured the values and the person. As to the person, I can list 25 or 100 things about which I disagree with Grant, but this essay and others before it demonstrate that he stands out because he believes in something because of what that something is and not for any extrinsic reason, andis willing to suffer loss to make and sell that sometthing. Back circa 1998 he said, "We are product-driven, not market-driven," and this phrase defines Rivendell. They believe certain things are good and they make those things without diluting them in order to sell more of them, and be damned to the rest of you.

This expresses a big part of the Rivendell idea:  “So many basic things are being teched out of existence,” Petersen said. He saw this as a function of business incentives: electronics break or need replacement; an upgrade is always around the corner. Petersen’s objections are practical but also philosophical. As bikes become higher-tech, riders lose skills and agency.

I liked this one, too: "There was something romantic about the Rivendells. They made the other bikes on the road look mean."

Bike Snob devoted today's post largely to the New Yorker article. "It’s a proper story, too, and not one of those little thumbnail sketches where they’re subtly mocking the person ..." -- making fun of Streetsblog.





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Patrick Moore
Alburquerque, Nuevo Mexico, Etats Unis d'Amerique, Orbis Terrarum
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Executive resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, letters, and other writing services

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When thou didst not, savage, know thine own meaning,

But wouldst gabble like a thing most brutish,

I endowed thy purposes with words that made them known.

Tom Goodmann

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Sep 16, 2024, 5:26:41 PM9/16/24
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Just read and relished this article, including the shout-out to Leah, aka Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 

May readers will find their way to more happiness aboard these wonderful bicycles. 

Thank you, Grant, for what you and all the friendly folk at RBW make and do, celebrate and share.

Tom
(happily cycling in Vermont on an AR/Proto-Saluki)

Ben R

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Sep 16, 2024, 7:31:14 PM9/16/24
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As seen on the Calling in Sick instagram. Really really feeling seen today. 😂 


Ben “mid 30s skater turned cyclist turned bird watcher”  R


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Tom M

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Sep 16, 2024, 8:01:59 PM9/16/24
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Thanks so much for sharing that article. Loved the writing.
Tom in Alexandria, VA

Bryan Dalik

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Sep 16, 2024, 9:43:57 PM9/16/24
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A lovely article that I think really gets the gist of Rivendell and Grant. I love the connection to Yvon Chouinard, as I think of Grant as the Yvon of the bicycle realm. I do wish that there was less "dogma" in the Rivendell world - I love Riv and love to ride slow on heavy steel bikes with baskets, but I also wear lycra and like to go fast for 100 miles at a time. Can't both be fine? Can't e-bikes be fine? 2 wheels is better than 4 in the end, in any capacity or style of riding. More people on bikes should always be the end goal.

ascpgh

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Sep 16, 2024, 10:05:57 PM9/16/24
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I met Grant at InterBike after opening our dealership of Bridgestone with our outside rep, Chris Watson. He was quiet but proud of the line and executing what he believed. He offered jellybeans from his pocket which I did accept. 

We had a nice conversation and he appreciated what we were doing and where we were doing it. His calm assuredness helped us reinforce our confidence with the direction we were taking with our bicycle business. We were about access, stewardship and a long ball view instead of the speculative incrementalism overtaking the industry at the time. 

We rode our bikes places not imagined when designed and needed a partner supplier for that deviance. Someone who didn't think it weird to ride road bikes on forest service dual tracks or on 75 mile loops of dirt roads and chip top on mountain bikes. 

I'm glad Grant has continued to adhere to a path less travelled and to have been an early customer when I had a need not met in the rest of the industry. I hope it goes on for all of those who get it. 

Andy Cheatham
Pittsburgh

On Monday, September 16, 2024 at 10:29:21 AM UTC-4 Roberta wrote:

Nathan Mattia

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Sep 16, 2024, 11:03:40 PM9/16/24
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Andy, that’s a beautiful piece of writing unto itself.

Came home to this article today, after taking my new2me Appaloosa out for a quick 10 miles after dinner.  Such a great ride. 
Such a great read.

After reading it I am sure that the most controversial and grating thing about Grant to most people is the refusal to chase the money.  Chasing the money is accepted, no ENCOURAGED, as justification for a thousand indiscretions and abominations both big and small, and Grant refuses to do it.  There’s an integrity there that is tough to find in businesses, but when I do, I support it.  
And maybe, just maybe, that’s not virtue signaling on my part,  if it encourages me to make similar decisions and not just enjoy an excellent bike.

Julian Westerhout

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Sep 17, 2024, 6:54:54 AM9/17/24
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Bryan, 

FWIW, while Grant is very open about his preferences, he's also very ok with folks choosing to do other than what he likes. Years ago I had a conversation with him about riding fast lycra centuries and he was receptive and encouraging. When he says Just Ride I believe he means that -- and he often makes disclaimers saying just that. He's laboring away doing what he wants in a tiny niche of the market, and for some reason his iconoclastic stance alarms/provokes strong reactions in many, despite the reality that he is not nor could he forcing them to do anything at all. 

Yes, some Riv-fans can be judgmental, but it is my experience that I am far more likely to be judged/shunned by the folks following the latest trends -- if I had a dime for every rider on a carbon bike who deprecated my Rivs and my choice to ride them I'd almost be able to buy a new Riv!  ;)   On the other hand, lots of folks admire the Rivs I ride, too (on RAGBRAI a few years ago a friend on a carbon bike commented on how many folks admired and complimented my Atlantis, where no one noticed his high-zoot carbon bike at all). 

Julian Westerhout
Bloomington, IL 

larson....@gmail.com

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Sep 17, 2024, 8:50:09 AM9/17/24
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Hey Julian,
Ran into you Saturday in Hollandale - I have the 2TT Appaloosa. I agree that Grant is accepting of many types of riding and is simply showing others another way of riding that he believes in passionately. I enjoy the Rivendell crowd and vibe because it seems more accepting and less contentious than most cycling groups, friendly and interested like you were on Saturday. I enjoyed the article very much!
Randy in WI

st nick

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Sep 17, 2024, 1:03:59 PM9/17/24
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I really like that article and appreciate that the author took the time to get to know Grant and the Rivendell crew and ride with them several times 
Very cool!

It was a fun read as I've followed the Riv history for around 25 years.

Good job author Anna Wiener!

I would not be surprised if before too long she gets her own Rivendell.

Paul in Dallas 
Discovered Rivendell in 1998 and bought a frame which was delivered in 1999.
I wish I could get that bike back.


Joe in the Pay Area

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Sep 17, 2024, 2:59:25 PM9/17/24
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It's comforting to have one's "life choices" reinforced, as this article does. And I'll be laughing for a while about "are these your parents?" "No, that's Jimmy and Roselyn Carter."

On Monday, September 16, 2024 at 7:29:21 AM UTC-7 Roberta wrote:

Paul Rhodes

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Sep 17, 2024, 2:59:56 PM9/17/24
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An ask to the group - do any of you have photographs or video of the drivetrain diorama mentioned in the article? If my mental image is correct, it could be a great teaching tool for the Bike Kitchen. Or perhaps I'm entirely misunderstanding this paragraph. I wouldn't put it past me.

The quote I am referencing is copied below:

"In the Rivendell showroom, a table held a silver bike frame, fitted with shifters and a drivetrain: the system of cranks, chains, pedals, and gears that propels a bicycle. “It gets really sappy if I try to talk about the beauty of a mechanical movement,” Petersen said. “I don’t want to be poetic about it at all. But I think people like to see how things work.” He turned the crank and moved the friction shifter—a small, silent paddle that shifts gears smoothly, “like a ramp rather than stairs,” as the Rivendell Web site describes it—which was the industry standard until the mid-eighties, when index shifting was introduced. We watched the derailleur lift the chain from gear to gear. “It’s so simple and so easy,” he said."

-Paul in Somerville, MA

Toshi Takeuchi

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Sep 17, 2024, 3:28:55 PM9/17/24
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Hi Bryan,

There are plenty of Riv riders who wear lycra and like to go fast--I definitely feel appreciated and included in the Riv family.  With that said, the messaging is going to the 90%+ of the riders who do not need a go fast bike with clipless pedals, but would benefit greatly from a comfortable steel bike that is practical and can be used every day for multiple purposes.

The New Yorker article specifically mentioned that Grant was not against E-bikes, as it removed cars from the road.  Grant just mentioned that he will not make Riv E-bikes (that doesn't mean he is against them).

--I think the Riv dogma is messaging that most (90%+) of the riders don't need a racing bike and it distorts the fun of cycling that can be had by most people if they had a comfortable bike that is practical to ride.  The dogma is not that riding fast on a bike with clipless pedals is bad.  If you love to do that, then there are Roadeos and Roadinis that can be had that will be comfortable, safe and fun to ride fast on.

Grant does have some dogmas that are espoused, such as: clipless pedals are not useful.  Again, this is true for 90%+ of the riders out there, and it's better to have people start riding and not thinking they need to suit up and clip in to get on a bike, so I agree with this messaging. 

Grant knows that clipless pedals help (you can read this in some Riv Readers), but this can be a secret we can keep for the go fast Riv riders and long-distance riders who need every muscle group possible to finish some rides.

Toshi in Oakland, CA

Brian Turner

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Sep 17, 2024, 4:34:09 PM9/17/24
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Aside from the fact that Will completely nailed my own personal life arc from skateboarder to biking bird enthusiast (I've never felt more like a walking stereotype, despite a lifetime of trying to avoid that sort of thing)... I thought the part about the photo of the Carters on their Rivs was hilarious. I gotta hand it to the author for including that in the piece. I think I would've been too embarrassed to let that out in public.

Brian
Lex KY

Brian Forsee

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Sep 17, 2024, 4:46:12 PM9/17/24
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Just chiming in to say I'm glad to see I'm in good company as a (inline)skater+ bicycle rider + bird enthusiast.

Brian

Andrew Scherer

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Sep 17, 2024, 5:14:09 PM9/17/24
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On Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 2:59:56 PM UTC-4 paulrh...@suumail.net wrote:
An ask to the group - do any of you have photographs or video of the drivetrain diorama mentioned in the article? If my mental image is correct, it could be a great teaching tool for the Bike Kitchen. Or perhaps I'm entirely misunderstanding this paragraph. I wouldn't put it past me.

There was one in every Schwinn shop BITD (image lifted from *bay)
s-l1600.jpg

Andy Scherer
Manhattan and Woodstock NY

RichS

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Sep 17, 2024, 6:36:51 PM9/17/24
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It's about time! As a long time subscriber I've often thought Grant's story would be a perfect fit for The New Yorker's editorial menu. 
Well deserved!

Best,
Rich in ATL

On Monday, September 16, 2024 at 10:29:21 AM UTC-4 Roberta wrote:

Philip Williamson

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Sep 17, 2024, 11:24:34 PM9/17/24
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I thought it was super well written, and the range of people interviewed was stunning. Leah, a random friend, Will, Calling in Sick guy, Yvon Chouinard (no big deal), Grant... But did she interview Hiroshi? :)  

I read this basically in realtime in a group chat, which made it even better, and then I passed it on to a friend who loved it and passed it to his wife who loved it... I hope it goes viral beyond our small (but mighty) world. 

Philiip
Sonoma County

On Monday, September 16, 2024 at 7:29:21 AM UTC-7 Roberta wrote:

Greg J

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Sep 17, 2024, 11:48:12 PM9/17/24
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I wish she had interviewed Hiroshi.  My first new bike that I bought with my own money was a Road Standard from Jitensha --- I think Hiroshi had bought a couple of frames when Grant was starting Riv.  I also saw my first Rivendell catalogs and Riv Readers at Jitensha in the late 90s.

I'm sure this article will sell a few more frames for Riv, which is great!

Greg/Oakland

Michael Kashuba

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Sep 18, 2024, 9:55:42 AM9/18/24
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Great article. My brother in Monte Rio, CA forwarded it to me, I forwarded it to a small group of cyclists I ride with here in the Sacramento area. My first bike was a jet black three speed J. C. Higgins purchased from Sears by my parents in 1961. Expressly for my first job-paper route delivering the San Bernardino Sun Telegram. Strangely enough, my Rivendell Appaloosa in some ways takes me back to those days on that beloved steel steed.
Mike in Fair Oaks, CA
Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 17, 2024, at 8:48 PM, Greg J <greg...@gmail.com> wrote:

I wish she had interviewed Hiroshi.  My first new bike that I bought with my own money was a Road Standard from Jitensha --- I think Hiroshi had bought a couple of frames when Grant was starting Riv.  I also saw my first Rivendell catalogs and Riv Readers at Jitensha in the late 90s.
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DTL

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Sep 18, 2024, 6:17:13 PM9/18/24
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Will this appear in a print issue of The New Yorker?

R Shannon

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Sep 18, 2024, 6:21:38 PM9/18/24
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Yes, it’s in the latest issue. 

Best,
Rich in ATL

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Ray Varella

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Sep 18, 2024, 8:55:09 PM9/18/24
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Let’s not overlook the flattering description of the Roaduno painted “banana-slug yellow”

I’ll be curious to see if that makes into their paint color description in place of what I’m guessing was lime olive. 
It would be inside info known by those who actually read the article. 

Insert secret banana-slug handshake 

Ray

Ryan

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Sep 19, 2024, 6:53:57 AM9/19/24
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No...I think it's closer to mustard... somewhat more flattering than baby-shit yellow...which my late partner used to rag me about before my 2001 Rivendell arrived, as a matter of fact. 

Ray Varella

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Sep 19, 2024, 10:36:01 AM9/19/24
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IMG_2264.pngI was making my guess off of this bike Ryan

Ryan

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Sep 19, 2024, 10:51:00 AM9/19/24
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See what you mean....nice

Joe Bashaw

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Sep 19, 2024, 11:26:39 AM9/19/24
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I can second this.

On Monday, September 16, 2024 at 9:24:46 AM UTC-7 Caroline Golum wrote:
Can confirm the Riv to birding pipeline is real

On Monday, September 16, 2024 at 11:32:24 AM UTC-4 ben.r...@gmail.com wrote:
dan!g you beat me to posting this!  its a good read and as a " mid 30s tattooed skater who rides in cut off dickies and vans" I was a little triggered to learn that I'm very "bird watching adjacent". 

IMG_4584.jpg

IMG_5005.jpg

Ben "little brother" R

Feldspar Palimpsest

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Sep 21, 2024, 11:12:01 PM9/21/24
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Great piece. Although now I’m afraid that hundreds of Brooklyn hipsters are going to grab all the bike preorders before I get my next Riv…  😉

Steven Sweedler

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Sep 22, 2024, 12:15:16 AM9/22/24
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I also wonder if this article will effect Riv sales in the future, long or short term. Peter Limmer is a custom boot maker in New Hampshire, an article about their boots inSports Illustrated brought in a years worth of orders over a 3 day holiday weekend, it eventually went up to a 4 year wait and they stopped taking new orders until they worked it down to  less than a year.

Steven Sweedler
Plymouth, New Hampshire


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Brian Turner

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Sep 22, 2024, 7:46:30 AM9/22/24
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If that happens, I’m guessing that could eventually mean more options for the rest of us on the secondary market!

Brian
Lex KY

Leah Peterson

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Sep 27, 2024, 3:38:18 PM9/27/24
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I simply have to tell you about my experience buying this issue of The New Yorker. I’d been waiting and waiting to get the print copy and rumor was, it would be in today. I had ridden my mermaid Platy downtown, and after coffee, I  searched for a bookstore. I decided on this place, which I always saw in passing but had never entered:
image0.jpeg

image1.jpeg
I went in, and a woman named Dean, age 77, stood behind the counter. 

“Do you sell The New Yorker?” I asked.

“Yes, of course I do!” she crowed, with more exuberance than I was expecting. 

I grabbed the magazine, put it on the counter and sheepishly told her, “I want to open it right here and look at it…because I’m in it.” 

Every synapse in that woman’s brain lit up. “You ARE? WHERE?!” I had 5 copies on the counter and she began scanning the article. 

It is much longer in print than I anticipated and as we combed the text, I struggled to find my tiny part in it. I said something in exasperation and Dean said confidently, “It’s alright; you’re at Michigan News.” She pulled out a monocle. 

She found my name before I did, grabbed a black pen and she drew a big arrow to my name. I was taken aback that she marked up my magazine, but thought it impolite to say so. Reading my mind she looked me full on with her sharp and sparkling eyes and said, “Now, this is MY copy. I’m going to buy it myself and put on my Famous Friends wall. People love the Famous Friends wall. They even bring their friends to show them when they make it on my wall. It warms my heart.”

I said, “I’m going to buy 5 copies of this magazine and gift you this one for your Famous Friends wall.” She lit up like a Christmas tree.

“You’ll sign this,” she directed. “Everyone on my Famous Friends wall has to sign.”

I explained that I’ve only lived in her fair state for 2 years, took her pen and signed, Leah Peterson, Michigander-In-Training.

I handed her my card and she said, “No, I don’t touch the cards. That’s the only way to keep them secure, you see, is if I don’t touch it.” I was starting to get a sense of who this woman is. I looked up and saw - I’m not joking - hand-written lists of bestsellers on the shop walls. Like you’d see at Rivendell Bicycle Works. 

I looked at her Famous Friends wall. She had local authors and regular people like me, who were mentioned in articles. She was in at least two articles on the wall. It looked like a bulletin board from my elementary school days. I was thoroughly charmed.

She went on to tell me, “The New Yorker is my favorite magazine. And do you know that they are the only magazine to pay poets for their poems? They are. It is a tragedy that people are going to the internet to get their news. I make 6% on newspapers. The money is in paperbacks. I make 40% on paperbacks. I am a second generation store owner. I own the store and I own the building.”

I told her, Grant Petersen, the man the article is about, has a lot in common with you. I hope you read that article; I think you’ll really love that man.”

“It’s not every day I meet someone famous,” she called out as I left. I assured her I’m nobody, but I was so glad to meet her and I will be back to her shop.

I rode off on my Platypus, not believing this encounter. I love the Michiganders.
Leah
image0.jpeg
image1.jpeg



On Sep 22, 2024, at 7:46 AM, Brian Turner <brok...@gmail.com> wrote:


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R Shannon

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Sep 27, 2024, 3:59:11 PM9/27/24
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Leah, your story just made my day. What a nice follow up to your appearance in the New Yorker. Congratulations on joining the Famous Friends wall!  The people you meet and the places a bicycle can take you! 
Note: Dean should be an honorary Riv Sister.

Best,
Rich in ATL 

On Sep 27, 2024, at 3:37 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

I simply have to tell you about my experience buying this issue of The New Yorker. I’d been waiting and waiting to get the print copy and rumor was, it would be in today. I had ridden my mermaid Platy downtown, and after coffee, I  searched for a bookstore. I decided on this place, which I always saw in passing but had never entered:
<image0.jpeg>

<image1.jpeg>
I went in, and a woman named Dean, age 77, stood behind the counter. 

“Do you sell The New Yorker?” I asked.

“Yes, of course I do!” she crowed, with more exuberance than I was expecting. 

I grabbed the magazine, put it on the counter and sheepishly told her, “I want to open it right here and look at it…because I’m in it.” 

Every synapse in that woman’s brain lit up. “You ARE? WHERE?!” I had 5 copies on the counter and she began scanning the article. 

It is much longer in print than I anticipated and as we combed the text, I struggled to find my tiny part in it. I said something in exasperation and Dean said confidently, “It’s alright; you’re at Michigan News.” She pulled out a monocle. 

She found my name before I did, grabbed a black pen and she drew a big arrow to my name. I was taken aback that she marked up my magazine, but thought it impolite to say so. Reading my mind she looked me full on with her sharp and sparkling eyes and said, “Now, this is MY copy. I’m going to buy it myself and put on my Famous Friends wall. People love the Famous Friends wall. They even bring their friends to show them when they make it on my wall. It warms my heart.”

I said, “I’m going to buy 5 copies of this magazine and gift you this one for your Famous Friends wall.” She lit up like a Christmas tree.

“You’ll sign this,” she directed. “Everyone on my Famous Friends wall has to sign.”

I explained that I’ve only lived in her fair state for 2 years, took her pen and signed, Leah Peterson, Michigander-In-Training.

I handed her my card and she said, “No, I don’t touch the cards. That’s the only way to keep them secure, you see, is if I don’t touch it.” I was starting to get a sense of who this woman is. I looked up and saw - I’m not joking - hand-written lists of bestsellers on the shop walls. Like you’d see at Rivendell Bicycle Works. 

I looked at her Famous Friends wall. She had local authors and regular people like me, who were mentioned in articles. She was in at least two articles on the wall. It looked like a bulletin board from my elementary school days. I was thoroughly charmed.

She went on to tell me, “The New Yorker is my favorite magazine. And do you know that they are the only magazine to pay poets for their poems? They are. It is a tragedy that people are going to the internet to get their news. I make 6% on newspapers. The money is in paperbacks. I make 40% on paperbacks. I am a second generation store owner. I own the store and I own the building.”

I told her, Grant Petersen, the man the article is about, has a lot in common with you. I hope you read that article; I think you’ll really love that man.”

“It’s not every day I meet someone famous,” she called out as I left. I assured her I’m nobody, but I was so glad to meet her and I will be back to her shop.

I rode off on my Platypus, not believing this encounter. I love the Michiganders.
Leah
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On Sep 22, 2024, at 7:46 AM, Brian Turner <brok...@gmail.com> wrote:


If that happens, I’m guessing that could eventually mean more options for the rest of us on the secondary market!

Brian
Lex KY

On Sun, Sep 22, 2024 at 5:12 AM Feldspar Palimpsest <michaelj...@gmail.com> wrote:
Great piece. Although now I’m afraid that hundreds of Brooklyn hipsters are going to grab all the bike preorders before I get my next Riv…  😉

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Leah Peterson

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Sep 27, 2024, 4:20:03 PM9/27/24
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Rich, that darling woman is almost too good to be a real life person. I found an article about her…She’s even better than I thought!
I should ride back to her store and ask her if she’s getting a Platypus yet. She’ll have to wait though, because Riv just pre-sold their entire shipment in under an hour this afternoon!

On Sep 27, 2024, at 3:59 PM, R Shannon <rshann...@gmail.com> wrote:

Leah, your story just made my day. What a nice follow up to your appearance in the New Yorker. Congratulations on joining the Famous Friends wall!  The people you meet and the places a bicycle can take you! 

Richard Rose

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Sep 28, 2024, 11:45:27 AM9/28/24
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Simply fantastic!
Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 27, 2024, at 4:20 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:


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JAS

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Sep 28, 2024, 2:10:29 PM9/28/24
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What a great article about Dean and her shop.  She is a positive force in the community with her work to improve access to the downtown area and her life-long passion for the printed word; a person I would like to meet. You're lucky to have found her and I hope you go often to buy her wares.  Thanks so much for sharing, Leah!

Can you make her an honorary RivSister?

--Joyce

Tom Goodmann

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Sep 28, 2024, 2:54:39 PM9/28/24
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Wonderful story, Leah! Thank you; you’re a very good storyteller, you know. I never miss visiting that shop when I’m in Kalamazoo. 

Tom

Huston

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Sep 30, 2024, 5:16:26 PM9/30/24
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That was a blast: just finished reading the article after a neighbor handed me her September 23 edition of The New Yorker.  If anyone wants the print version, send me a PM, and I'll send it your way.

--Huston
Lexington, KY

R. Alexis

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Oct 1, 2024, 2:42:26 AM10/1/24
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I thoroughly enjoyed the article. Makes me want to go out to Rivendell HQ to see things in person all the more. I feel like I came up in cycling where a lot of Grant's and Rivendell tenants ring true down to my core. I may not be in total agreement with some things. 

I don't know about the whole extra long chainstay thing, but man, a lot of other things I have adopted. Leather bicycle saddles, was hesitant years ago to get one because of the thoughts that it was uncomfortable and took a while to break in. Despite picking up a few old/NOS ones years ago I still was hesitant. Than I rode my landlords bike that had an Ideal or something leather saddle and I was like Wow, this is comfortable and not the suffering ass hatchet I was led to believe.  My Bridgestone XO-1 and MB-1 sport Brooks leather saddles proudly and my Schwinn Voyageur has a C-17. My first nice bike, a 1986 Mongoose ATB came with SunTour XC friction shifters. Rode friction for several years until the warranty replacement bike got updated to 7 speed SunTour XC-LTD 7 speed index shifters with the friction option. I am back to friction with my original SunTour XC thumbies on the Bridgestone MB-1 along with down tube shifters on the Schwinn Voyager. 

This was a joy reading. I forwarded the link to my girlfriend. I may post to my FaceSnap wall or something, if I can figure out how to. 

This has me thinking more of adding another Rivendell to the lineup. If it were still available the Gus Boots-Wilson looked appealing along with the Suzie/Wolbis. The Appaloosa is also appealing. 

Reginald Alexis

Al

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Oct 2, 2024, 12:59:10 PM10/2/24
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Leah, as a former Kalamazoo(ian?) now Grand Rapidian, it made me so happy to see the Michigan News Agency on this forum! Dean has recommended so many incredible books to me over the years (she claims to only carry books she has read). Always fun to see the intersection of things you love.

Al
Grand Rapids, MI

Leah Peterson

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Oct 2, 2024, 1:31:26 PM10/2/24
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Al, you live in GR?! You could meet me there tonight for the Wed Evening Ride and go wilding! Have you ever done this ride?!

On Oct 2, 2024, at 12:59 PM, Al <alex.d...@gmail.com> wrote:



R. Alexis

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Oct 2, 2024, 2:12:53 PM10/2/24
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Huston,

I PMed you yesterday on your copy. Let me know if still available.

Thanks,

Reginald Alexis

Huston

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Oct 2, 2024, 2:48:29 PM10/2/24
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Reginald,

It has your name on it.  Try another PM with mailing info.

Thanks,
Huston

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