Riv Intro

[Smitty-A-Go-Go]

Had family in town this past weekend. My sister rides bikes and had expressed interest go on ride during her visit. Like many folks, she rides road racing type bikes but she doesn't race. The only bike we have that's close to her size is my wife's Betty Foy w/ alba bars, brooks B68 and 42mm Hetres. Needless to say it's pretty much the opposite of her bikes at home with their skinny tires, low bars, etc. The first thing she says when she gets on the Betty Foy is "This bike is so comfortable." Throughout the ride she kept commenting about how great it was to ride a bike that was comfortable. Her highest praise came at the end of the ride, which was only about 90-minutes, when she said "My butt doesn't even hurt." 

She never went as far as suggesting that she might trade one of her racer bikes for something more "country" but I'm pretty sure a Riv-ish seed was planted in fertile ground this weekend.

--Smitty

     

[William]

I had a similar experience over the T-giving weekend.  My cousin and his girlfriend visited for Thanksgiving.  On Friday we did some touristy exploring, and while we were roaming Sausalito, the two of them said they wanted to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge and back.  So I brought my Bombadil (with drops) and my wife's Yves Gomez (with Albas).  When the came back they were saying "What makes it so smooth?  Is it the frame, or are the components just really good?  It's all just so solid and smooth and quiet!"  They aren't really cyclists, so I don't know about seed-planting, but they were super impressed and happy.  I imagined how their experience would have differed if they went on racing bikes or modern mountain bikes or the rentals that they could have gotten at either end of the bridge.  

[Joe Bernard]

It amazes me that non-cyclists do that ride over the bridge and back to Sausalito. Even for an experienced cyclist, it's a bit hairy: Usually crowded/cold/windy, with a huge descent at the end.

[William]

agree.  It's fun at the beginning of a brevet at 6AM when you have the bridge shared by a few dozen randos and nobody else.  It's rewarding at the end of a brevet in the twilight, despite the crowds.  

[grrlyrida]

That's what made me order a bike from RBW and leave my carbon/skinny
tired lifestyle behind--a test drive at Riv on a Betty Foy.

[jimD]

That ride over the bridge is beautiful. 

When there isn't a crowd it's great. When there is the summer scrum of 'take no prisoner racer' types, 'what me worry' tourists, and everything in between, it gets pretty weird.  I've often wondered what the accident rate is.

I came over one sunny summer day on my custom riv (riv content!) when the wind was howling through the golden gate pulling in wisps of fog and thought I was going to freeze to death. It was like riding in the face of a real big air conditioner.

-Jimd

On Nov 29, 2011, at 11:35 AM, Joe Bernard wrote:

It amazes me that non-cyclists do that ride over the bridge and back to Sausalito. Even for an experienced cyclist, it's a bit hairy: Usually crowded/cold/windy, with a huge descent at the end.

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[jimD]

That was my downfall too.
I dropped by several years ago and test rode a Rambouillet. I struggled to make a decision and ended up with a carbon racery bike.

But the siren call persisted and I found a used Romulus. Then the real trouble started and I convinced myself to get a custom Riv - best bike decision I ever made. The carbon bike sits un-ridden in the garage.

-JimD

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[Eric Norris]

Crossing at night is the way to go:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/campyonlyguy/6406695029/in/set-72157628162948287

--Eric N

Sent from my iPad2 

[TSW]

A few years ago the first time I visited RBWHQ I rode the newly
released Betty Foy and had the same impression- it just wanted to go.
This was the first chink in the no-650Bs-for-me armor...

TW
Berkeley CA