Southwest Michigan Rivendell Ride ✅

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

We had our Rivendell Ride today, and I was so happy that we had 10 riders! We rode the KalHaven Trail, a rail trail that spans the 34 miles between Kalamazoo and South Haven. Eight of the ten riders brought Rivendells, most had seen a lot of miles. The oldest bike was the ‘97 or ‘98 orange Custom, and the newest was my 2020 Platypus.

Here is the lineup, alphabetized:

2 Appaloosas 

1 Atlantis (in custom green paint)

1 Custom orange Rivendell

1 Homer

1 Hunq

1 Platypus

1 Quickbeam

And one Nobilette and a Soma mixte.

It was great weather and good company, and we continued our fellowship at a local brewery post-ride. It was nice for Marc and me to meet everyone in real life and admire their bikes. We are planning our next ride for fall colors on the White Pine Trail. I bet it’s as pretty as it sounds.

Photos in the next post, so wacky Google Groups doesn’t get the opportunity to turn all my photos sideways.

Leah

[Leah Peterson]

At the start of the ride I lined us up for a group photo. While I was fiddling with the camera, those characters decided to rainbow the bikes. The lone woman in the group did not generate this idea. It was all them. They were a bit deflated when the green Atlantis rolled up a bit late and put himself on the end. Rainbows do not end in green. The best laid plans…

We got a group photo, but we were remiss in getting our bikes in a group photo.

Please be blessed by our footwear. Only UnRacers here:

Two production bikes in custom colors!

Up next: Bike portraits. Stay tuned.

Leah

On Jul 16, 2022, at 6:31 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

We had our Rivendell Ride today, and I was so happy that we had 10 riders! We rode the KalHaven Trail, a rail trail that spans the 34 miles between Kalamazoo and South Haven. Eight of the ten riders brought Rivendells, most had seen a lot of miles. The oldest bike was the ‘97 or ‘98 orange Custom, and the newest was my 2020 Platypus.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/2u8wwSaiqxs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/837a9c2c-de0f-475f-81b3-42678e6366fan%40googlegroups.com.

[Leah Peterson]

Bike portraits. I told everyone I wanted a photo with rider + bike, and 9 out of 10 complied willingly. Marc, Lone Wolf forever, protested pitifully but the Platypus Rider nagged so he gave in.

This is Max. He came from Ann Arbor and brought us a Quickbeam to admire. Max is quick on his Quickbeam. When I realized we were going to be late for our reservation, I left the group to race ahead so as to get our table secured. Josh joined me and Max came from behind and left us in the dust. He doesn’t even ride with his hands on his handlebars.

Ryan (Muskegon, MI) brought a giant purple Nobilette. His saddle sits at about my shoulder. 

Josh (Grand Rapids, MI) works for Velocity! He has a custom-color Atlantis that he cherishes. He keeps it squeaky clean but we trashed it with limestone dust and now his chain squeaks. He was a good sport.

Ben has a custom orange Rivendell. He has lots of bikes, several are Rivs, and when I asked if this was his favorite he said, “It is my first.” He built it as a single speed, so I said I would ride mine in a single gear (the hardest) for the whole ride in solidarity, but I had to shift once on the incline as I raced to the restaurant. It was shift or die. Or worse, forfeit our table at the brewery.

Red mixte riders, unite! Tom (Grand Rapids) brought us a red Soma to admire. I have a weakness for the red bikes. He also brought Marc and me each a dozen eggs from his chickens. He changed into clean clothes for dinner and the rest of us sat in our sweaty clothes.

Steve came all the way from Chicago and brought his very tall Homer. That blue is so pretty in real life. 

This is Paul (Kalamazoo), who goes by Doc. He is a real doctor, a retired emergency room physician, and this pretty Appaloosa is his retirement gift to himself. 

Dennis (I didn’t catch what city he drove in from) brought a silvery Appaloosa that we all thought looked fantastic with its hammered  Honjo fenders. He doesn’t keep cars in his garage. Only his bikes.

Here is the Lone Wolf, Marc Irwin! I think he smiled so well for the camera even though it nearly killed him. He’s got a black powder-coated Hunq with new black fenders. He once told me this is the bike he will die with. I usually see him on his Sam, but the Hunq is his favorite. All Marc’s parts fall off or break eventually. He rides thousands of miles in all weather; what else would you expect of a Lone Wolf?

And finally, me. You have heard enough about this Platypus. This was my first Rivendell Ride, and first time helping to organize one. I wish I had had tee shirts made. 

Up next: fork crown pics!

Leah

On Jul 16, 2022, at 6:31 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

We had our Rivendell Ride today, and I was so happy that we had 10 riders! We rode the KalHaven Trail, a rail trail that spans the 34 miles between Kalamazoo and South Haven. Eight of the ten riders brought Rivendells, most had seen a lot of miles. The oldest bike was the ‘97 or ‘98 orange Custom, and the newest was my 2020 Platypus.

--

[Leah Peterson]

Someone (Max?) had the brilliant idea to take pics of our fork crowns. It is interesting to see how Rivendell has changed them over the years.

On Jul 16, 2022, at 6:31 PM, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

We had our Rivendell Ride today, and I was so happy that we had 10 riders! We rode the KalHaven Trail, a rail trail that spans the 34 miles between Kalamazoo and South Haven. Eight of the ten riders brought Rivendells, most had seen a lot of miles. The oldest bike was the ‘97 or ‘98 orange Custom, and the newest was my 2020 Platypus.

--

[Jon Dukeman]

I happy it turned so good 

Thanks for sharing.

--
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.

[Richard Rose]

I so wish I’d been able to make it over for this ride!

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 16, 2022, at 7:00 PM, Leah Peterson <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:



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 on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/573F3924-B830-44B9-B1AF-3A1EA6CF3D55%40gmail.com.

[Chris L]

Since Marc's Hunqapillar is now black, my gray/orange 54cm is even more rare!  His was the only other one I know about, although one of the 54 prototypes has the orange accents, so it may be out there somewhere.  

To be honest, I've long thought of changing mine to black.  I'm not big on conspicuous appearances and prefer a bike that is neutral and generally goes unnoticed.  

[Ray Varella]

That looks like a lot of fun. 

Leah, you could an ambassador for Riv who travels around and organizes these sorts of rides. 

I doubt that sort of position exists…but still. 

Ray “not far north of Riv World Headquarters”

[Ray Varella]

P.S. That orange metallic gets my (thoroughly subjective) vote for the best color of the day. 

[Leah Peterson]

Ray - on that custom? I KNOW. It was just glorious. 

I’d happily be the Riv ambassador! Who wants to pay me?!

L

On Jul 16, 2022, at 10:20 PM, Ray Varella <rayvar...@gmail.com> wrote:



To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/6215ca0a-0c9f-4084-bad0-bd7ffad4b25fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Joe Bernard]

I love the black Hunqapillar, I've seen another one around here in years past (maybe it was a Bombadil) with full racks and lights..so cool.

Thanks for all the pics Riv Ambassador Leah, it looks like you guys (and one lady) had a grand time! 

Joe Bernard 

On Saturday, July 16, 2022 at 6:19:56 PM UTC-7 Chris L wrote:

[Roberta]

The ride pictures and your descriptions helped me feel the joy of meeting  everyone and going on a great ride together. 

Beautiful bikes. 

Btw, I did noice that Steve, Ryan and Max dressed to match their bikes; nice touch for pics. 

Roberta

[Brian Turner]

Great turnout with such cool bikes! My wife has that same red Soma Buena Vista mixte and I’ve always thought it would be right at home amongst a crowd of Rivendells.

On Jul 16, 2022, at 11:07 PM, Roberta <rcha...@gmail.com> wrote:

The ride pictures and your descriptions helped me feel the joy of meeting  everyone and going on a great ride together. 

--

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 on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/5351fca1-048b-49ff-b4c6-4fd4f31e489dn%40googlegroups.com.

[Leah Peterson]

Joe, yes it was so fun to be around like-minded folks. Now that my kids are teenagers it is getting easier for me to branch out and do fun things like this. I hope that one day I can make a weekend out of it. Maybe do a bigger ride and stay in a hotel a night or two. Not camping, mind you. Never camping. Maybe even get some RivSisters to join me!

Leah

On Jul 16, 2022, at 10:37 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

I love the black Hunqapillar, I've seen another one around here in years past (maybe it was a Bombadil) with full racks and lights..so cool.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/022a32f7-397e-4d06-88cd-4484eb3c8306n%40googlegroups.com.

[Max S]

Great fun, that was! 

A few more photodetails and a plug for Josh's bike biz – get in touch if you want your nice steel bike electrified properly and nicely. 

- Max "those last 3 miles were definitely uphill!" in A2 

[Max S]

[Max S]

[Wesley]

I love all of this, and must admit being confused by Ben's custom being called a single-speed.
-W

[Leah Peterson]

Wesley, I’m laughing out loud. I never looked at the drivetrain until I read your comment! At the start of the ride Ben was talking about his single speed. He rides single speed. Loves singlespeed. So, Ben has a singlespeed. I’m taking his word for it. I don’t look at drivetrains. But having been humbled here, I sure will in the future. At least before I wrote about them!

Leah

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 17, 2022, at 1:05 PM, Wesley <brooks...@gmail.com> wrote:

I love all of this, and must admit being confused by Ben's custom being called a single-speed.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/2u8wwSaiqxs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d565459e-7878-47f8-b97e-cf7678faac4fn%40googlegroups.com.

[Ryan]

Glad Wesley beat me to it...I noticed that beautiful custom WAS multi-geared. But I'm with Ben...I love my 50-year old somewhat Rivved out Peugeot PX-10 set up as a (low-geared) single speed. Gets more miles than my 3 Rivendells , if I'm honest

A handsome pride of Rivendells for sure, nonetheless. Love the story and photos...and Leah, I'm with ya on the camping...did it in my 30's but, at nearly 70...not so much. Riding all day with a clean bed, hot shower and cold beer at the end to look forward to  is totally the way to go. 

[Joe Bernard]

Ok so if I'm following this correctly you stayed in one gear in singlespeed solidarity with Ben for most of the ride..and he was shifting! I love this story! 😁

[Richard Rose]

I cannot argue but I will say that at 67 I thoroughly enjoyed my recent bikecamping tour of the Great Allegheny Passage from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. 4 nights camping & it was really nice. We were blessed with the showers & the beer, so it was perhaps more “glamping” than camping. I highly encourage it.

Also, thoroughly enjoyed my PX 10 back in the day, both as a 10 speed & later as a fixie. But my Clem is a peach. 

Sent from my iPh

On Jul 17, 2022, at 2:03 PM, Ryan <ryte...@mts.net> wrote:

Glad Wesley beat me to it...I noticed that beautiful custom WAS multi-geared. But I'm with Ben...I love my 50-year old somewhat Rivved out Peugeot PX-10 set up as a (low-geared) single speed. Gets more miles than my 3 Rivendells , if I'm honest

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 on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/cb7dbc96-a3b7-4931-b7ba-a60c097ece46n%40googlegroups.com.

[Max S]

Ya gotta be careful with that... first you don't shift out of solidarity with a riding buddy... next thing you know you're looking for a QuickBeam and putting your name on the waitlist for a red Roaduno! 

- Max "don't ask me how I know" in A2

PS: Actually, my first "conscious" fixed gear experiment was way back when I was in school, but then a few years ago... 

[Joe Bernard]

I love the deep-dish carbon rims on the Quickbeam. I need these on my custom! 🙌

[Leah Peterson]

Joe, it gets worse.

 I realized with 10 miles to go that we were going to be late and miss our reservation. This is a host’s worst nightmare. I did not want to blow this. I had to ride ahead, would have to sprint, but it would be 10 miles, 7 on a gradual incline and 3 on a steeper incline. Josh chased me down and rode with me, and then along came Max who passed us. He was leaving the trailhead as we were arriving, and graciously secured our table. 

 I looked at my Apple Watch last night and texted Marc this photo, saying, “You can see where I freaked out about our reservation.” 

Ignore Mile 36 - I was loading up my bike in the parking lot and forgot to end the workout. I finally decided I had to shift one gear to keep up speed on the incline and it really hurt me to do it. And now I’m twice the fool because Ben’s bike had gears and worse, I didn’t notice.

Leah

On Jul 17, 2022, at 2:32 PM, Joe Bernard <joer...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ok so if I'm following this correctly you stayed in one gear in singlespeed solidarity with Ben for most of the ride..and he was shifting! I love this story! 😁

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/646b3d41-7494-49e1-b8c1-dd418695bd01n%40googlegroups.com.

[Leah Peterson]

Max, don’t do this to me, I have a weakness for red!

On Jul 17, 2022, at 3:38 PM, Max S <msh...@gmail.com> wrote:

Ya gotta be careful with that... first you don't shift out of solidarity with a riding buddy... next thing you know you're looking for a QuickBeam and putting your name on the waitlist for a red Roaduno! 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/115018f2-2085-4231-a73e-852c59666ad0n%40googlegroups.com.

[Joe Bernard]

I was wondering what the next step was after "Leah has 3 Rivs and that's all she'll need forever amen." Singlespeed. Not even a mixte! 🙃

[Ryan]

Custom.Red.Singlespeed.Mixte

[Marc Irwin]

I can assure you Leah does not know the difference.

Marc

[Marc Irwin]

Solidarity?!?!  She doesn't shift.  That's it.

Marc

On Sunday, July 17, 2022 at 2:32:41 PM UTC-4 Joe Bernard wrote:

[Leah Peterson]

I mean, MY bike is a single speed, right Marc? 🤣

Sent from my iPhone

On Jul 18, 2022, at 12:14 PM, Marc Irwin <irwi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I can assure you Leah does not know the difference.

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/2u8wwSaiqxs/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9f510d6e-43ad-4435-afe6-633a9b3664e5n%40googlegroups.com.

[Marc Irwin]

She rides with a special drivetrain.  It's a single speed with 18 options.

Marc

[Wally Estrella]

"This is Paul (Kalamazoo), who goes by Doc. He is a real doctor, a retired emergency room physician, and this pretty Appaloosa is his retirement gift to himself. "

Love Doc! Good human!  He has a place here in Maine.  I'll typically seen him at the LBS.  Haven't seem him, but should reach out to see if he's back in state. 

[amill...@gmail.com]

Great ride and awesome documentation, Leah!

Wish I could have been there.

Best,

Aaron in El Paso 

On Jul 16, 2022, at 17:02, Jon Dukeman <row.n.2...@gmail.com> wrote:



I happy it turned so good 

Thanks for sharing.

On Sat, Jul 16, 2022, 4:31 PM Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! <jonasa...@gmail.com> wrote:

We had our Rivendell Ride today, and I was so happy that we had 10 riders! We rode the KalHaven Trail, a rail trail that spans the 34 miles between Kalamazoo and South Haven. Eight of the ten riders brought Rivendells, most had seen a lot of miles. The oldest bike was the ‘97 or ‘98 orange Custom, and the newest was my 2020 Platypus.

Here is the lineup, alphabetized:

2 Appaloosas 

1 Atlantis (in custom green paint)

1 Custom orange Rivendell

1 Homer

1 Hunq

1 Platypus

1 Quickbeam

And one Nobilette and a Soma mixte.

It was great weather and good company, and we continued our fellowship at a local brewery post-ride. It was nice for Marc and me to meet everyone in real life and admire their bikes. We are planning our next ride for fall colors on the White Pine Trail. I bet it’s as pretty as it sounds.

Photos in the next post, so wacky Google Groups doesn’t get the opportunity to turn all my photos sideways.

Leah

--

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 on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/837a9c2c-de0f-475f-81b3-42678e6366fan%40googlegroups.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 on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAMO8PLjxRRbcovWxLYo0z6w84xCyyHL5SRDnsUm4rfFNNH%3D_oA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Stephen Fiete]

It was a great ride, and nice to meet everyone.

Steve

[Joe Bernard]

Hehe, knowing Leah she probably put it in the hardest gear and went like blazes, with one minor downshift for the big hill at the end. I pity you fellows trying to keep up with her! 

[Max S]

Pretty sure there's a photo somewhere that's proof... Oh, right here: 

(https://www.ibiscycles.com/our-story/history/11-the-scorcher-will-teach-you) 

- Max "just do it (already)!" in A2

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Joe, You do know me, because that is exactly what I did. And then I decided I’d rather push harder than spin faster and went back to my original gear. I think you may have missed it but I posted a pic a little earlier in the thread of my splits. The part where I freak out about the reservation is obvious.

[Jake Freeland]

I live in SE.MI. Bit of a hike to get out that way, but sounds like fun. I will keep my eyes open for the next one.