Fantastic Roberta! A bike is the sum of its parts. More accurately, a sum of the stories of all the parts that they represent to you. It validates all of your past riding by developing preferences and aesthetics of parts you may not have been keenly aware of before 2017. Most production (boxed) bikes are specified for price point by choosing lower level parts for the bits most riders aren't familiar with or don't notice. Building a bike like yours is deeply rewarding and culminates all of your efforts, experiences and gained knowledge.
It's not a "retirement bike", it's a bike to provide for your "not working 8 hours of each day anymore bike". In that role your Betty Foy appears ready for all uses, your pictures even show a wet ground, validating fenders and flaps before you've even posted an initial ride report. Makes me think of the Dr. Seuss classic, Oh, the Places You'll Go. Andy Cheatham Pittsburgh On Monday, December 25, 2023 at 8:40:01 PM UTC-5 Roberta wrote: > What’s old is new: circa 2010 Betty Foy! > > Let me explain why this and not a custom I was hoping for. > > For the past nearly three years, I’ve been “next up” on Rivendell’s list > for a custom retirement bike, something I’ve wanted since I found Rivendell > in 2017. I wanted something 1) like my 55cm Platypus, but shorter (I > didn’t say short, just short-*er*) specifically so I could take it on the > city bus bike rack and Amtrak, that 2) fits and rides like my 2019 54.5 > Homer. > > During one of our many conversations, the ever so patient Vince suggested > a Betty Foy. When I saw one posted on RBW’s Craigslist thread, I drove > to Brooklyn, test rode and brought it home, and thanked the RBW poster. I > think this bike is from the first batch of Betty’s because only one heart > lug was (notice the past tense) filled in and the seat tube is 58cm. The > color is not robin’s egg blue, but more of a sage/teal, which I like more. > > It’s about as close to a custom as I think Grant would have built for > me—650b wheels, just under the Amtrak length limit by ½”, fits on our city > bus bike racks, rides great and no toe overlap. Perhaps not a cushy as > my Platypus with its extra-long wheelbase, but if I’m on my Betty, I have > more options for mass transportation. The only thing I wish it had was > an additional water bottle mount, but I remedied that with a water bottle > bag on the handlebar, big enough to hold a 40 oz Kleen Kanteen. > > 1X9 Drive train (38T Wolf Tooth in front with Microshift Aventex in back), > Albatross handlebar, brakes (Tektro R553) and Gravel King Slick tires > are as I purchased the bike. > > I added “extras”—SKS fenders with custom mud flaps (made by a little girl > whose Dad is on the iBob board > https://groups.google.com/g/internet-bob/c/M_iDE82EhkI/m/FZG8bZzMAQAJ ), > red Ergon grips and Newbaum’s tape for pop of color, German mirrors, > Greenfield kickstand, 32 spoke Velocity A23 rims with tubeless setup, and > Dyno lighting SP hub with Edulux light on front and B&M Topline Plus light > in the back. Bitex hub in the rear. Axiom rack. Brooks B68 saddle in > honey, but I might try the newly re-issued B72 albeit in brown. > > Keystone Bike https://keystone.bike/ did amazing work with the extras, > and featured the bike on their IG page a few weeks ago. > https://www.instagram.com/p/C0WqS6_OzqA/?img_index=1 . If you’re ever > in Philadelphia, I highly recommend a stop at their shop. They > understand Rivendells (and even own a few). > > I did do one way-over-the-top (for me, at least) item—I had all the hearts > paint matched and filled by a meticulous and true professional—Lek, > https://www.instagram.com/lekerleks/ , who also builds Albacore > handlebars available at https://hopecyclery.com/ . My favorite heart is > the one on the back side of the seat tube—an “Easter egg” that I see every > time I use my basket, which is every ride. I asked him to fill in the > hearts and he returned the bike saying “I just did every open lug window I > saw—hearts, circles and dots.” WOW! > -- 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-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7cacaf95-fac3-4228-a75f-2d48c92cb697n%40googlegroups.com.
