Matt from Crust - PLP Talks

[sean]

Hello Rivsters,

I know there is some Crust love among my fellow Rivendellians. Well, Russ at PLP has a great interview with Matt from Crust.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5eJzXVzKFg

Riv content (spoiler) - Matt expresses his admiration for Grant and Rivendell.

Sean

ATX

[Coal Bee Rye Anne]

Thanks for sharing Sean.  I had the pleasure of speaking to Matt in person last year at Belmar Bike Shop (I think they handled most Crust inventory prior to Matt officially opening Crust HQ) and although brief, our conversation touched on some of the same topics.  I work only 15 minutes or so from Belmar, NJ and they have become my preferred shop in the area (I live an hour away and have another couple shops closer to home I'll also purchase from.) Although I can't recall what I first stopped in there for I had spotted an Evasion with the new ultra wide 666cm "leather bar" drop bars in the workstand.  Turns out Matt was there in the back and they had recently taken delivery of the first batch of bars... so I bought one of the new bars to try out and also got to check out the new Romanceur frame.  I noticed the (first run) Romanceur shared the same fork crown as the (now discontinued) Velo Orange Camargue (my wife rides a small 26" Camargue) and that sparked a discussion on lug selection and he pointed out the same thing mentioned in the PLP interview regarding the discovery of tooling and development costs and admiration for Riv's no compromise, ground-up lug design and production.  He noted the Romanceur/Camargue crown and the rest of the lugs were essentially chosen from supplier catalogs due to cost/availability and the prohibitive costs and timeframe of trying to design their own.  He mentions in the PLP interview, however, actually getting some fork crowns made and I look forward to finally stopping in the new Crust HQ and checking them out along with his other new products.

Brian Cole

Lawrenceville, NJ 

[adam leibow]

thanks for posting this. Crust is great. I have 2x Riv & 2x Crust (Romanceur + Evasion). I feel the same warmth in the customer service as with Rivendell. 

[Ben Miller]

I listened to it last night on the commute home. I laughed a lot. Matt seems like a fun, interesting person, doing his thing and getting by. Definitely interesting getting his take starting a independent bike business and also some of the back story on things, especially the leather bar/towelrack!

I also listened to the PLP talk with Benedict/Ultraromance. And I recommend that too. Might start going back and listening to more of these PLP interviews.

And like Adam I own several Rivs and two Crust bikes. A Romancüer and a Scapegoat. I disagree with Matt on the 'Goat, I think it's a very aesthetically pleasing bike! And it's so much fun to ride. It's really like a extra-large BMX and makes you feel like a kid again. A lot has been said about the Romancüer, so i don't think I have anything new to say, other than I love mine. I can't wait to get my hands on some damn leather bars for it though!

[sean]

Yeah, I appreciate the ability of people to not take themselves too seriously and just love bikes and what they're doing. Matt comes across like a straight-up good guy. Agree on the Ultraromance interview as well. Poppi seems like a much more down-to-earth person than I would have imagined from Instagram (I don't get the whole appeal of Instagram anyway, but maybe it's my age). Both of these guys are promoting the best things about riding bikes and smart bike design and seem to be picking up the torch that Rivendell lit long ago. The fact that someone can make bikes that they (and their friends) want to ride and someone can make a "living" bicycle touring is pretty amazing in and of itself.

Speaking of the towel rack, looking forward to seeing what this Crust shaka bar is all about too.

Much like the mainstream industry cribbed from Grant/Riv, I suspect they'll be doing the same from Matt/Crust.

Sean

ATX

[drew]

I agree. This is a really good counterpoint to the sceney, super hip stuff on instagram. It’s nice to hear him talk and just be a down to earth normal guy. I’ve been liking what he’s making, but also have been a little dubious about supporting what seemed sorta like an inside joke that I wasn’t in on. I’m much more likely to be a customer now.

As a side note, I really appreciate that riv has built a idiosyncratic brand without ever feeling like they are trying or especially not trying to be cool. It makes things feel more inclusive.

[sean]

I agree about the initial "inside joke" thing (probably because I just can't stomach much of Instagram), but I came to realize it's not like that at all. As the owner of a relatively new Crust romanceur, I can attest that the stuff Matt is producing is top notch. The detail and finish (on a production frame) is excellent and the ride quality fantastic. He also is trying to produce more MUSA frames as well. I also appreciate the fact that all these people ride and ride hard. I can't think of better, real-world product testing. I mean, Matt and Goat have ridden all over the world putting modified Surlys through the paces in the early days.

I feel drawn to Crust the same way I was drawn to Rivendell so many years ago. Still lust after Rivs (especially customs), but Crust has captured that same interest (built around disc brakes which, for me, are a functional improvement in my daily cycling world). Wish I had waited for the arrival of the Lightning Bolt. That frameset looks amazing with the raw, clear-coated fillet brazing.

Sean

ATX

[John G.]

I posted about my recent visit to Crust HQ on ibob and 650B, but didn't post it here. Bottom line: Matt is an awesome guy and true bike nerd, and when you talk to him in person there is nothing about Crust that feels like a hipster inside joke. 

He's building up a Lightning Bolt for me as we speak. I think my conversation with him happened before this PLP interview, but I mentioned that I own an Atlantis and he started gushing about Rivendell. He's a big fan, from what I gather.

In person, the Crust fames are gorgeous, and the workmanship appears to be outstanding. I know he makes multiple trips over there for each batch.

[masmojo]

I don't own a Crust, but I might in the future. What I find interesting is he's totally slammed/over his head, doing exactly the sort of thing Rivendell won't do, while at the same time being a Rivendell disciple and deriving inspiration from them!?
Compound that with the fact that many River's also have Crusts and it makes me wonder if Grant is missing out on something!?

[Clayton]

I plan on getting a Crust after my Atlantis dies. My Atlantis is now 20 years old and I love it. It may never die. However, I would like the option of being able to run super supple 2.5" tires, disc brakes and braze ons for bikepacking etc. I have dropped hints for Riv to make such a model, as I would like to stay loyal to Rivendell. 

Please Grant? 

Clayton Bailey  

#dirtdance