Hi Caroline,
I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of “meeting” you on this site, but I am glad to have had the chance via this thread today. Welcome, RivSister.
I’m so sorry about your seized stem. Really and truly. I imagine you feel a little sick at heart about the whole thing. But you also wisely acknowledge the enrichment the bike has brought to your life. You have identified the problem and you are getting the bike serviced now, and this will not happen to you again. (You’ll be heavy-handed with the grease after this.) It will be ok! Also, you have done some of us a service because I bet there will be some who will read this post and then check their stems and seat posts.
I really enjoyed reading your post and picturing your life with this bike. Would you delight us with a little more of the story? What is the bike you have? How did you choose this bike? Do you have a photo of it? I love to see well-used bikes. They have so much character!
Again, I’m SO sorry about your stem, but if Grant knew (I’m assuming it’s one of his bikes) he would be tickled. You did exactly what he hopes - you have used the bike for 15 years and have not made an ornament of it. Bravo, and well done. Leah On Jun 13, 2023, at 8:41 PM, Caroline Golum <caroline.go...@gmail.com> wrote:
I was searching this group for a specific query when I stumbled upon this thread so excuse the revival here but it was very heartening.
Last week I brought my bike in for a stem swap (shoulder problem, need something shorter) and found out over the weekend that the old stem is frozen (among other issues). Given that I’ve had the bike almost 15 years, and haven’t had a proper overhaul in nearly as long, I was in a real funk about this all day. It’s a costly and time-consuming repair, and I may be sans bike for a few weeks. All day I thought: How could this happen? I’m responsible! I’ve worked in bike shops! I maintain the fine things in my care! Then I read the accounts in this thread and it made me feel a lot better.
This is a bike I paid for in installments, it is the first truly fine bike I’ve ever owned. And in the ensuing years I’ve ridden it daily in all manner of weather, left it out overnight after having one too many on too many occasions, and put it through a litany of errands and adventures. It’s like the Argo or Washington’s axe: I’ve replaced things here and there, it’s had many different looks and set-ups, but always the same great ride. And ultimately, this is the point of having a great bike: it’s fantastic every time. So thanks everyone for inadvertently reassuring me that a seized stem isn’t the end of the world (though it sucks).
On Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 7:38:42 PM UTC-5 Jason Fuller wrote:
I do like that sentiment. In the spirit of avoiding being too precious to use the bike as much as it should be, I sold the Charlie Gallop because I finally accepted that it was basically my other Riv(s) but I was just more willing to lock it up (within reason). It wasn't a good enough reason for the Hillborne or Bombadil to stay home.
It seems like the Hillborne is the more logical equivalent to the Charlie, but given the way I had the Charlie set up (as more of a city hybrid kind of bike) I'm tailoring the Bombadil for the job - it's received a pannier rack and some stickers; the latter probably doesn't do anything other than signal to my brain that this is a modest bike, regardless of its pedigree or value. It has also received some bike rack scuffs.
Indeed, those Seven Sisters just up the hill.
That is one gorgeous Rambouillet. Is the background that dam at the bottom of Mt. Tam on the Mill Valley side on the way to the 7 sisters?
RBW, here's one that we've been riding daily for all its 18 years...and it's precious as well. Gratefully, we can all have our pie and eat it too.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 2:30:14 PM UTC-8 Joe Bernard wrote:
What a beautiful way to express it.
On Thursday, November 17, 2022 at 2:11:24 PM UTC-8 Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! wrote:
I was on Instagram this morning and saw a post that echoed the spirit of this thread. The user kindly translated it to English from his native Japanese, and it was so perfect that I can only imagine it was even better in the original language.
On Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 1:18:05 PM UTC-5 JAS wrote:
I'm like Roberta; I take care of my stuff and try hard to overcome the desire to keep everything in like-new condition by "saving" items for special times. Sometimes I have to take a breath and have a little self-talk when it comes to my Rivs. "It's OK, it's just a bike. It's meant to get dirty. It will be fine on the bike rack." This was repeated many times when taking my dear Platypus on the rack for the first time, knowing I had a five-hour drive and Platy would be covered in road grime. This is even worse when the weather is snotty. However, I've figured out to cover the saddle and just live with the rest. Cleaning rags are essential gear and besides, it's more important to ride the bike, dirty or not.Theft is always at the back of my mind, especially when I found out how easy it is to cut a lock. It has happened twice. I went on a summer camping trip and left the keys to my 1Up rack at home. A handy camp-host with a cordless grinder made quick work of it. Another time, I used my OttoLock at the grocery store rack. The combination dial failed, so I went next door to the hardware store to borrow a bolt cutter. The kind clerk brought one out and cut the lock with one snip! Lessons learned....but still, I lock it up with my new lock and smile broadly when I come out of the grocery store, see that beautiful design and relish the honesty of humanity.
Joyce On Sunday, November 13, 2022 at 5:34:12 AM UTC-8 Roberta wrote:
This got me thinking about most of my possessions. I take care of what I own and although careful, little is so precious that I won’t use something, even my Rivs. (There was a time I wouldn’t use something because it was “too nice” for everyday so I’d use it once a year or two, missing the joy on the other days of the year.) Still, I am careful. What I am more concerned with is theft and road salt.
Patrick, Dustin: don't worry too much about me. -20 and calmish around
here is much preferable to the alternative of, say, 5 degrees with 80kmh
winds. One way or the other, Patrick is correct: it's dry as can be in these parts. My coldest-feeling commutes were living near Toronto, where it's much wetter. I'm also not that hardcore - my buddy Andrew in Calgary (hi Andrew, he's in the group) is twice as hardcore when it comes to winter commutes, and in harsh winter places like Edmonton and Winnipeg there are some real maniacs, I think.
To your question, Patrick, I am large load capable with the Joe but the basket/rack combo is pretty light, and the bags usually aren't full. Often just a big U-lock in the saddle bag and my messenger in the basket. Today, not joking, I lost traction and did a slow-motion-almost-360-degree-pirouette/donut on a parking lot ice sheet and stayed upright, so handling is fine!
Anyways, blah blah blah, I'm glad to be riding the Joe when I wouldn't have before.
Mack
Imo one of the saddest things you can write in a FS post is "barely ridden"
Did you read Grant’s Blahg? He covers a lot of ground, but most notable to me was the Please Don’t Be Precious About Your Rivendell section. In sum, Grant is saying it saddens him to think of people riding beater bikes instead of their Rivendells to do daily, monotonous tasks - because those tasks make up a lot of real life. If one “saves” their Rivendell, it will not realize its potential, sit mostly unused and then pass to one’s heirs who will sell it in “near mint” condition on EBay, and how sad. What was the bike for?
I have found myself both guilty and innocent on the matter. My #1 favorite bike is my raspberry Platypus. I ride it all the time, because I bought it to ride it, but I also dread any harm coming to it, and I do guard it from that. I got a second Platypus that I dedicated to shopping and traveling with and promised not to be precious about it. But now and then I still am tempted to backslide. When traveling to the Philly Bike Expo I dithered about which bike to bring. I didn’t want my raspberry Platy damaged while locked up at racks and I feared it being stolen. Roberta said, “I don’t think you have a choice, Leah. That’s the bike people will expect you to bring.” And she was right, and I did.
Then, there is Pam. Pam is at the other far end of the spectrum. Her bike is a model of beausage. Innumerable paint chips and little spots of rust cover her tiny Betty frame. Her Backabike bags are full of holes and the elastic closures are worn out. She locks it up and never worries about it. She did not obsessively stare out the restaurant window to see if it was still locked to the rack while we were at dinner (like yours truly). But she loves her bike, has real affection for it. She looked at me, eyes shining, and said exactly that. Ana, PurpleRiv, is another good example to us. She adores her bike, but has not spared it from hard work. Her bike has hauled obscene loads and taken her everywhere. I remember there was that one fateful camping trip for she 1. Posed it for a photo, only to have it topple and slide down the face of a boulder next to it. I believe she said she sat there and wept for 2 hours over her Joe Bell paint. And who among us would not do the same? 2. Same trip, another photo op, and the bike fell off a cliff.
So, who truly loves their Rivendell? The one who lavishes it with care and protection? Or the one who pulls it out of the garage and into all of life - the mundane and the adventurous?
On one end of the spectrum we have those who will only take a Rivendell out for special occasions so as not to spoil it, and on the other…well, we have Pam and Ana, who will give it a good thrashing. (Oh, don’t take it personally, friends, I’m being funny about both types of owners.)
I find myself wanting to be precious but fighting it and succeeding *most* of the time. I’m lucky that the raspberry paint hides beausage and dirt, so it looks pretty new. But a dent in the top tube or a large chip in the paint would really hurt my feelings. Heaven help me.
Where are you on the spectrum? What words of wisdom might you have? What strategies do you employ? Do you want to change? Or are you unapologetically staying put on the matter? It might be fun to hear perspectives. Leah
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