Riv Ride Report - Impromptu Ride /w Grant

[Joe A.]

Hey All,

I wanted to share a special ride report from this past Saturday.

Originally, my wife and I planned to hop on BART from West Oakland and travel to Walnut Creek to visit the Riv HQ, followed by a quick ride around Shell Ridge. I've been to the showroom a handful of times to pick some odds and ends, but my wife has never been. 

She currently rides a Clem H in "Barf Green" as she calls it (ha!) that I sourced for her from a fellow bay area Riv rider. It's an amazing bike, but as she didn't pick it, it's never truly been hers. I was excited for her to try out a few bikes and finally find her one true steed.

We arrived to find Grant in the showroom, helping another person find their PBH size. Before long, my Wife and Grant were deep in conversation about what type of bike she was looking for, and she hopped on a Platypus, Homer (the new gold ones look amazing in person btw), Proto Charlie, amongst others. She immediately fell in love with the Homer and was zipping around the compound with a huge smile on her face. While she did that, I nerded out with James, checking out his Homer and Atlantis.

Intermittently, Grant, James, and Riv Friend Dan, gushed about the color of her frame, how unique the color was and how beautiful it was in the light (all things I also thought when I scored the bike for her). For context, my wife is obsessed with getting a yellow or orange bike, and nothing else will please her :) Grant conceded to her that yes, one should have a bike in a color that makes them love it, and so it in was in friendly jest that for the rest of our time together Grant kept talking up her "barf green" Clem. I thought it was hilarious.

After an hour or so, we said that we'd come back another day to hammer out the details on a build, and that we were off to Shell Ridge to ride some trails. I confessed that we'd never been out there before and James let me take a photo of a map they had on hand to get there. 

We set off, only to find both Grant (on his light blue Clem) and Dan (on his army green Gus) waiting near the start of the trailhead!

They graciously offered to show us around (though were careful to give us the option to get a few pointers and continue on with our date ride). Obviously, we were more that elated to have Grant and Dan lead us on our first ride in Riv's backyard. How cool is that??

So we were off! Grant and Dan tested our chops a bit through some light trails, and eventually we came up to a fork in the road. Grant and Dan gave each other a look and after a moment Grant said "well, you two look like you can handle yourselves, so let's try some singletrack, it'll be fun!"

Full disclosure: my Wife and I are pretty avid cyclists, though we spend most of our time on easier fire trails and pavement in the urban jungle of Oakland. So... our experience on singletrack and trails in general isn't the greatest. But when Grant says ride, you most certainly follow. I also felt comfortable knowing we had them around. I must also admit that I've never really taken my Clem L on this kind of terrain, so there was a lot of learning to do.

What followed was an amazing jaunt around Shell Ridge. I fell at least twice, but there was no shame to be had. Dan shared that on his first ride with Grant in Shell Ridge, he fell off his bike and slid 50ft down the side of a hill which scored some laughs all around.

As we went along, both Dan and Grant gave me some tips on how to ride the terrain and by the second half I was having the time of my life. The biggest thing I learned was to trust the long-wheel base, and pedal, pedal, pedal. It took a bit of courage to do, but once I got the hang of it I was amazed at how, yes, you really can pedal through those moments of doubt and come away smiling. I'll never forget it. I was also in awe of how skillfully both Grant and Dan rode the terrain, they're incredibly skillful but are never in your face about it.

Along the way, we had great conversations about not just bikes, but life. I asked Grant if he was going to celebrate Riv's 30th anniversary next year to which he yelled "NO!" (though I suspect people will celebrate him and the team anyway) and in turn, he asked us about our lives, our interests, our hobbies, etc. It was great to hear about his philosophy on life, on bikes and everything in between. We joked about the French (my wife is French) and Grant's struggles to pronounce French words. I even snapped a few photos on my Kodak Ektar H35.

Grant was also a great ride leader, explaining how to approach certain sections in a non-condescending manner. The riding was technical, but I never felt overwhelmed, and both my wife and I really began to understand how Grant's design philosophies translates to real world applications. Oh they definitely translate :)

After about 2 hours on the trails we made our way back to HQ where Grant graciously gave us some coconut water to rehydrate. We were gassed, so we hung back and talked more about Taiwan and the bike manufacturing scene there, and shared the story of how my wife and I met in Taipei over a decade ago. 

Before leaving, the Riv team also gave us some goodies (patches, stickers and shirts!) and we said our goodbyes, promising to come back soon to not only get my wife a Homer, (though she's since reconsidered getting a Roadini to complement her Clem, that she now has a newfound appreciation for, obviously) but also hang out. 

I can't stress enough how thankful we are to have had the opportunity to ride with Grant and Dan. I've always had a sense of the Rivendell vibe, but that day really solidified it my mind as the best bike company in the world. Grant, if you ever read this, you are the man!

I wish I had taken more digital photos of us, but will have to wait to develop the film. We did snap a photo of our "fearsome foursome" before leaving though (my wife Mathilde is between Dan and Grant, and I'm on the right):

I'll also share some photos of our rigs when I get a chance! Oh and a few weeks back I made a post to the group about offloading my Clem for a Gus. Yeah, that ain't happening anymore :)

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed reading (I know I can be a bit long-winded with my writing) and would love to hear about similar experiences folks have had riding with the Riv team. 

Allez!

-Joe

 

[Bill Lindsay]

That's just sensational.  You'll remember that day forever!

BL in EC

[Josh C]

Great post. Thanks for sharing. Sounds like a nice experience. 

[John Rinker]

A very fine write-up of what seems to have been a wonderful experience, Joe! Thanks for bringing us along.

Cheers, John

[Kim H.]

An absolutely wonderful and delight story. I enjoyed how well written it was, Joe. Most definitely truly a forever

memory for a lifetime.

Thank-you, for sharing.

Kim Hetzel

Yelm, WA.

[Bill Lindsay]

I've gotten to ride with Grant a few times.  The most memorable one was when I was just stopping in for a couple small bits, and I was contemplating a floor model 650B Atlantis.  Grant walks up and:

GP: "Hey Bill"

BL: "Hi Grant"

GP: "We should go on a ride sometime"

BL: "I agree, that would be nice"

GP: ...

BL: ...

GP: "OK, grab a bike.  Let's go!"

Bill Lindsay

El Cerrito, CA

On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 1:40:39 PM UTC-7 Joe A. wrote:

[Sarah Carlson]

As a lady who also wanted a yellow bike... and custom painted one.... Make it happen! Say goodbye to barf green!

On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 1:40:39 PM UTC-7 Joe A. wrote:

[Richard Rose]

Fantastic!

Sent from my iPhone

On Sep 18, 2023, at 8:01 PM, Kim H. <krhe...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

And I wanted a raspberry bike! So I also say make it happen for the yellow or orange bike!

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this thread, start to finish. I was as delighted as if it had been me who got the experience. How wonderful. But I would not have been brave enough to be doing single track out there with Riv People. You crashed twice? Nope, nope, nope. Put me back on the bike path please and thank you.

[RBW Owners Bunch]

Love this hahaha, I can visualize that exact conversation.

[RBW Owners Bunch]

Leah and Sarah, I've passed your support to Mathilde to which she said "See, they get it!" :)

And also, I wouldn't say I crashed twice, more like I had to bail from the bike because I lost balance. Nothing catastrophic (except for a bruise or two from those damn bear trap pedals!)

[Sarah Carlson]

Leah helped me with process of finding and then going through the process of custom painting my Platypus. If I was a super cool technology person I could direct your right to that conversation. There is also someone who custom painted an orange bike...

[Pam Bikes]

Great story!  I took my Betty to the Asheville Riv ride.  We rode Bent Creek and as we rode in I passed so many people on full suspension MTBs.  Needless to say I was underbiked.  But she handled well as all Rivs do.  You just need to trust the bike.  And have a blast!  Thanks for sharing your story.

[Bernard Duhon]

 

I often wondered what it would be like to take a ride with him (them). A metaphysical experience? :)

 

I will be humbled and ground into the dirt.

 

I'll also share some photos of our rigs when I get a chance! Oh and a few weeks back I made a post to the group about offloading my Clem for a Gus. Yeah, that ain't happening anymore :)

 

Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed reading (I know I can be a bit long-winded with my writing) and would love to hear about similar experiences folks have had riding with the Riv team. 

 

Allez!

 

-Joe

 

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[E Lee]

Great write up! Took me back to a few years ago. I'd ventured cross-country, found myself in San Francisco, what else would a bike nerd do? Jump on the BART to Walnut Creek. I'd found myself confused as I rounded a section of storage unit type structures, only to find a discreet Rivendell Bike Works sign. Upon poking my head in, I'd found myself in the RBW headquarters. Some banter later, and Roman and Grant are deciding who will squire me through Shell Ridge.

 A fantastic experience all around. I left with a new hat, and a pocket full of Lip-Ivo.

E. Lee

Southeastern VA

On Monday, September 18, 2023 at 8:22:30 PM UTC-4 sarahlik...@gmail.com wrote: