My Personal Stable - 45% RBW Content

[Ben Miller]

Over on Drew's wonderfully titled thread Persnicketiness with color combos/Wider aesthetic convo... I wrote a "dissertation" (Drew's words, not mine, but I like it) on my philosophially on wider aesthetics and bike building. At the end of that post I added a few words about about some of my own builds, but left out photos as I didn't want to clutter up Drew's thread with what was already an overly long post and I also didn't have necessarily have up to date photos for all those bikes.

So today I spent a couple of hours photographing my entire stable, plus my wife's Platypus. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while now, and this was a good motivator! That's 11 bikes total, but only 5 Rivs. So be warned, this isn't 100% Riv content! Only 45% Riv content :) But they are all steal bikes and heavily influenced by RBW philosophy. 

My idea is a create a post for each individual bike on this thread, but here is the link to album if you just want to see the photos without waiting for the rest of the thread. Link to Google Photos Album

And as I said in my dissertation, I welcome any honest, constructive feedback :) 

[Ben Miller]

Gonna start this off with my first Riv and the one that when I saw in in the old Bike, Book, and Ax Riv themed store I immediately knew I wanted. I got it off Craigslist in 2014 and was told I am the 3rd owner. Like I said on Drew's thread, it's my "let the frame speak for itself with a classic look" build. I'm trying out the Rene Herse Crank on there, which replaced a Sugino compact double, so yeah I know the front derailleur is too high and chain is too long. I think I might have made the gearing too low, so I'm trying to decide what direction I want to go next with that. Things of note: blue Paul Funky Monkey, re-skinned shifters to gum (originally black), very old Swift Ind rando bag with custom matching colorway, and Special Ed Brooks saddle. 

[Victor Meng]

You, sir, have a very nice stash of bicycles.  They are all beautiful machines, but that pale green Ram really stands out to me...and is inspiring me to get my blue one repainted.

I hope you enjoy lots of rides on each of them.

On Friday, November 7, 2025 at 5:38:49 PM UTC-8 Ben Miller wrote:

[Ben Miller]

Next up is my Rambouillet. I've written about this bike on more than a few threads on here, so not going to go over the history too much, but it was from another RBW Owner Bunch member. It was built up around the Huret Ecopar RD, of which this is the 2nd (first one famously and tragically exploded at a Nutmeg Nor-easter). Just absolutely love this bike :) The new RBW bidon really rounds out the build for me! 

[Ben Miller]

Next up: the Hunq! I got this bike from list member and real life friend, Reed. We traded and he got my Homer frame. This bike has gone thru more than a few build designs, but I think I'm pretty happy where it's at now. As I said before, the "inferno" Kooka cranks and Waxwing x Analog bag really round out this build for me. Will rock the GK special ed in Cranberry at 45 mm until Ronnie makes some Rad Mars in 700c! I think I put that bug in his ear when he visited this summer :) Sorry about the wonky pedal in this photo, but the Hunq does what it wants!

 

[Ben Miller]

My last and newest Riv: the Bomb-baddy! I also obtained this frame for a list member and fellow SFer. I just love how this build came out and how smooth it went. Well, it wasn't all smooth... I originally had a sweet TA Pro Vis triple on there, but the NDS arm was wallowed out and ended up rubbing the chainstay :( But the Sugino made White Ind crankset still looks pretty sick to my eye! I also absolutely love the Shovel Research bits in brass/black :)

[Ben Miller]

On the the Crust bikes portion of this thread. Starting with the Lightening Bolt! I scored this as a complete build off Craigslist from a bike mechanic in Palo Alto for a good price. And as an amazing build! A lot of this his original, but with some notable modifications from me: the Analog Cycles fingerling stem in clear Keracote and the White Ind rims I personally de-anodized and polished up. There's a few other small changes, but again, alot of the credit goes to the original owner on this one!

[matt miller]

This is fantastic. Thanks for sharing. You had a perfect day for shooting with a giant softbox in the sky. I was searching your name after seeing Drew's thread, and I was having a heckuva time finding anything, so this is perfect. Really appreciate you putting this gallery together.

Matt in STL

[Ben Miller]

The Romanceur v2: this was actually my first Crust and first disc-brake bike. Bought as a frame from Crust and built up by me, but has gone thru a few build changes over the years. Extremely happy with it now. Last editions were the Thompson dropper and the front and rear Sinewave Beacon lights. This bike build is probably the closest to my actual personality. But not sure what that says about me ;)

[Ben Miller]

Next is the Romanceur v1. When I first saw the Romanceur on the Radavist it was this silver finish and loved it. But... It was already sold out. When this original version on my local Craigslist, well that was a dilemma, as I already had one! But whereas my v2 is a Swashbuckling scoundrel, this guy is a more refined version. My only fendered bike, as it doesn't rain much here. 

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[Drew Fitchette]

Wow, love seeing these builds, Ben!

But I believe Dan called it a dissertation,  not me. Though I loved reading your thoughts too!

What size are all of these frames?

[R. Alexis]

Someone really likes the Sim Works Bubbly pedals. I asked about them on the iBOB list. Was thinking about getting a set. Look forward to the write ups on the rest of your stable. 

Thanks,

Reginald Alexis

[Dan]

Love this thread and every bike in it. Thank you for sharing the pictures, along with the little anecdotes about each bike. 

There’s so much to like! The mixed tyres on the Lightning Bolt. The wonderful old wine red tape on the Rambo. The pop of the orange bag on the Romanceur v1…!

You obviously have fun making and refining all these builds. 

Is there a bike you gravitate to most, or do you try to ride them all equally?

[Ian A]

+1 Fantastic thread. Keep them coming!

IanA Kitimat BC

[Ben Miller]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement! I took a little interlude to go out to a friend's 40th party last, where I KID YOU NOT, we ended up at a Rivendell themed bar. The books/movie, not the bikes, though there was a bike theme at one of the spots along the way. 

Reginald, yes, I absolutely love the Sim/MKS Bubbly pedal! In fact, if I'm not using them at this point, there is a good reason.

Dan, I sort of have an ideal ride in mind for each bike, so it depends on the ride which I choose. But some of the bikes are pretty specific/niche that they don't get ridden as much.

Drew, sorry to get you and Dan confused. Thanks again for starting the other thread!  

Gonna finish the rest of the bikes real quick and then get out for a ride!

[Ben Miller]

The final Crust: The original Scapegoat! I got this as a complete from Analog (actual, pre-Analog, back when it was Gravel And Grind). They were selling it for a nice discount as it had been a demo bike. It's been thru a few different designs since then, but now lives it's life as a drop-bar, internally geared, plus-tired, rigid MTB. Absolute blast to ride, but very much not fast. The 3" Teravail's are like velcro and you can literally hear the watts being stucked away on pavement. Some things to note is the entirely custom saddle from a leatherworker who was based in Oakland and the limited ed all-silver PNW dropper that is routed thru an extra water-bottle boss. Oh, and the "Plug" stem charger linked to the dynamo front hub. The original Crust Scapegoat frame is a unique beast in and of itself, with so many carefully considered details. Just now noticing that the rear tire has rotated off a bit, probably due to the tubeless setup that drinks Orange Seal like its water.... 

[Ben Miller]

The custom Ahearne all-road machine! This frame from legendary builder, Joseph Ahearne, was a custom for someone else who I guess back out of it after it was brazed up. So I snagged it! Color was my choice: a Chartreuse clear coat that my wife Stephanie recently said she didn't like :P But I love it! Again, design philosophy was mostly to let the frame speak for itself, but had some fun with some purple bits sprinkled in. This is as amazing of a bike as it looks and I've done some big rides on it. Probably my prettiest build by my eyes. 

[Ben Miller]

My last bike, though we have one bonus one after ;) The Vintage Ritchey! I bought the frame from Pro's Closest way back before then became too big for their own good during the pandemic boom. It was sold as a Ritchey Ascent, but more recently sleuthing has been convinced it is actually an Outback frame from '87-'88 time frame. The frame was originally purchased as a build from a friend's birthday present. He is a big Toronto Leaf's fan so the blue/white was perfect. He rode it alot as both a gravel and then commuter bike, but eventually moved on and I rescued it from nearly being another Craigslisting. His big issue was the canti/u-brake setup, which I agree was less than ideal. So I took it to Eric Billings who removed the u-brake studs, added the canti posts and stops. Now its rocking some sick blue Paul Motolites, much better! Otherwise, it's got a complete vintage Shimano Deore 7-speed drivetrain, blue MKS XC-III's, and a blue and silver vintage silca frame-pump that I refurbed. I think it's a sick build and this bike is more fun than it should be to ride! 

[Ben Miller]

The last bike! This is Stephanie's 2025 Platypus! I've written about it elsewhere, but it's her first Riv. It's still a bit of work in progress, but coming along. We tried a bunch of different saddles before she found she liked my borrowed Berthoud Aspin Open, so we got her her own black one. It may or may not remain as a drop-bar Platty, which is the only drop-bar one I've seen (I know there must be more crazies like me out there, show us your drop-bar Plat!) I recently snagged her a Vintage Ram, which is just now in the beginning stages of design. And likely how that turns out will determine the fact of this drop-bar experiment. Otherwise, mostly stock config from RBW HQ. Again, this is a frame that can and should just speak for itself, so pretty! 😍😍😍

Oh, and a quick note on bike build designs for friends/family/others: I think it's the most challenging, but also most rewarding type of bike building. By necessity you have an audience of at least two now! And so to build a bike that meets their goals whilst at the same time imparting your own philosophy into it is not easy. It takes a lot of communication and patience. It think mastering it is the highest expression of mastery of bike building. I'm still learning! 

Well, that's it! Now I just need to make a choice of which one to take out for my ride today! Thanks everyone for following along on my State of the Stable!

[Patrick Moore]

That’s quite a collection of interesting bikes. I’m curious why you use non-aero levers on many of them (“curious,” not disagreeing).

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[Ian A]

Ben,

Thank you for taking the time to photo and profile all your bikes. It has been very enjoyable to peruse the collection and learn a little about your  eye for beautiful curation. My bikes are 1000 miles away from where I am working at the moment, but they are mostly practical builds with little attention to the aesthetic. Silver coloured cranks with the odd black chainring, mismatched rim colours etc., but I enjoy the "functional aesthetic" of my own builds.

Hopefully this thread will lead to others profiling their collections too.

IanA KitimatBC

[Kat]

Ben, this was a real treat to read through. You have a fantastic collection of bikes, I'm not sure I could pick a favourite. Thank you for sharing and for your excellent write ups, something to aspire to for sure. 

Thanks,

Kathryn

[F Mac]

Remarkable collection of bikes AND bags! I especially like the Roadeo you kicked off with. Beautiful rigs.

[Ben Miller]

Thanks everyone! 

Drew, I didn't forget your question about frame sizes, here you go:
Hunqapillar 62
Roadeo 61
Rambouillet 64
Bombadil 64
Lightning Bolt 62
Scapegoat 59.5
Romanceür v2 62
Romanceür v1 62
Ahearne 52.3 (link here to full geo, more info, and photos)
Outback 55 

Patrick, great question actually! Growing up in the 80's with the MTB craze, I sort of missed the whole non-aero brake lever phase. And honestly I assumed I'd never like them or DT shifters. It wasn't until I got the Lightening Bolt that had been built up with non-aero levers and DTs that I gave them a fair shake, and I loved them! I think it's because I prefer long reach drop bar with long ramps so I don't need the additional hand space an aero lever provides. Functionally, I like them better as it's easy to swap out and change housing and whatnot. And I just like the way they look! But I get that they don't really play nice with the more modern drop bar style of short reach/short ramps, so if I really needed to run those I'd probably chose aero levers.

Ian and Kat, I would love, love if I inspired others to share their stables! It's been a fun and rewarding little project for me to do it here, but it does feel a little braggadocio/flaunting/navel-gazing or something. But if it inspires others, then well I wouldn't feel as self-conscious myself :)  Really that was my main purpose, to inspire. And I guess, in a way, maybe it's worse having all these amazing bikes and not sharing them! So really, everyone should be doing it :)

Forrest, I took the words of a wise sage to heart: "Where are you even going on a bike without a bag??" It's essential kit!