There's something a bit cuckoo going on here with some of the replies to this blog post. On the one hand, the OP wants to know what kind of touchup paint will work to cover scratches in order to improve the look of his bike. Good for him. OTOH, there are those checking in who are saying don't pay any attention to all that, just let it go (AKA "beausage") because it will show that you've been riding your bike a lot. Which is which? If you live on a gravel road and have a lengthy gravel driveway to get to your house and have plenty'a money, would you be comfortable buying a high-end car in the double $ figures like an Aston Martin Vantage to drive over it on a daily basis? Well, maybe so if your pockets were so deep that it didn't matter one way or another and you'd just trade it in whenever it gets too chipped up. We have frequent posters who spend lots of money for a particular Riv frame painted in a special color, decked out with specially anodized components (Leah) who ride the bejeezus out of their bikes but are very careful about damage to either the frame or components. Good for them (her)! All of that is not to say that everyone should just ride their bike however and wherever they wish and then just throw it in a corner every time they they get home. I just finished doing a major "overhaul" of a mid-90's Schwinn Ridge Seacher "mixte" step-through to upgrade the older Huffy klunker she'd been riding. She uses it every year to accumulate miles for a special childhood brain cancer event. She has little money and had been given the Schwinn a few months ago by some people who told her simply that the bike had "been in their basement for a long tiime." The thing was in atrocious condition, caked with mud, all of the hubs had dried up grease, the chain and the BB had to be replaced, the brakes were completely out of adjustment, there were broken spokes, etc. I spent lots of hours on that bike and only charged her for the cost of a new BB and chain. Now it's in perfect running condition and she couldn't be happier. I'm sure she'll be riding a lot more miles this September! To each his/her own or I 'spose maybe beauty/beauseage is in the eye of the beholder.
On Monday, June 3, 2024 at 4:49:49 PM UTC-5 philip....@gmail.com wrote: > I like secondhand bikes because I like stories. > > I like the idea of an object living alongside or entwined with a life. > > I like things to be passed along and cherished. > > And I like battlescars, chips and dents (within reason), because they can > help illustrate the things I can only otherwise imagine. > > I like to know something was used, and presumably loved. > > I don’t mind seeing that. > > I still obsess with the maintenance of said bikes. Take time and spend > huge sums of money to rebuild and ride them. > > And I like the idea that my riding of them is only one part of their > overall journey. I’m a custodian, and as such I want to treat them with the > respect and love I think they deserve as objects of design and also as > tools. > > Not giving a shit about the condition of the paintwork, or caring if I > accidentally add another small ding to the top tube, is not the same as not > caring about the bike at all. I actively worship these things, both in use > and aesthetically as I encounter them. I don’t know a way to show them any > more respect than that. I just quite like scuffed-up bikes and bike parts, > as long as they’re still structurally sound and mechanically > well-maintained. > > My general preference is to leave paint as I’ve found it. > > Although a bike Steve Potts recently just modified for me is getting a > full fancy repaint at D&D. > > So I guess you just go where the bike dictates. > > P. W. > ~ > (917) 514-2207 > ~ > > > > > On Jun 3, 2024, at 1:56 PM, John Rinker <jwri...@gmail.com> wrote: > > Excellent article Erl; thanks for sharing! Leave it to the Japanese to > elevate imperfection and entropy to an art form. > > > And Bill's characterization of beausage is spot on but, not for everyone. > > Cheers, John > > On Monday, June 3, 2024 at 12:14:11 PM UTC-7 WETH wrote: > >> This discussion reminded me of an article on the Japanese concept of >> "wabi sabi": >> >> "But the quintessential artistic application of *wabi sabi* is *kintsugi*, >> a Japanese craft for repairing broken pottery. Rather than trying to hide >> the fractures and make the pottery look as good as new, *kintsugi *artisans >> use a tree sap lacquer dusted with powdered gold, silver, or platinum to >> accentuate the cracks and repairs. (*Kintsugi* literally translates to >> “golden joinery.”) Sometimes they even will take pieces from other broken >> ceramics and combine them to form a new aesthetic. >> >> By making these imperfections conspicuous, *kintsugi* celebrates the >> history of the piece while creating something wholly individual. The damage >> is not only heightened to artistic beauty, but it can never be replicated >> as no ceramic will break in the same manner as another. This makes it more >> valuable in the eyes of the owner." >> https://awaken.com/2022/09/escape-the-perfectionist-trap-with-the-japanese-philosophy-of-wabi-sabi/ >> >> Erl Houston >> >> Kensington, MD >> >> On Monday, June 3, 2024 at 2:45:17 PM UTC-4 Johnny Alien wrote: >> >>> I agree with Bill. There is a large difference between beausage and >>> abuse. >>> >>> On Monday, June 3, 2024 at 1:48:14 PM UTC-4 Bill Lindsay wrote: >>> >>>> The last several Rivendell Bicycle Works Owners Bunch posters have >>>> agreed with one another that beausage means lazy and neglectful usage of >>>> one's bicycle. >>>> >>>> That's a terrible misrepresentation of the meaning of beausage, in my >>>> humble opinion. Useful objects are USELESS if they don't get used. The >>>> USE is what makes them worth their own existence. Beausage is the >>>> combination of two words: BEAUTY and USAGE. Beausage means that the >>>> object >>>> looks like it has been used. That's all. The idea is that a useful object >>>> that looks like it has been used is more beautiful than a similar useful >>>> object that looks like it hasn't been used. Lazily neglecting ones >>>> bicycle >>>> is not beausage. "Rat bike aesthetic" is not beausage. Parking a bike >>>> outdoors for months, not riding and letting it rust is not beausage. >>>> >>>> If you've got the time and energy to disguise your used bike as an >>>> unused bike, and think that's beautiful, that's cool. You do you. >>>> Those of us who keep our bikes mechanically and functionally perfecto, >>>> and don't mind that they look like they are actually ridden; we are not >>>> bike abusers. There's room for both approaches in this little niche of >>>> the >>>> cycling world. Some of us capture both approaches in a single stable. >>>> (This guy). Both are valid. >>>> >>>> Bill Lindsay >>>> El Cerrito, CA >>>> >>>> On Monday, June 3, 2024 at 10:15:47 AM UTC-7 george schick wrote: >>>> >>>>> Yes, indeed! Sometime last year on a blog about polishing Paul brake >>>>> parts Laing posted this comment: "...To me, patina is just another word >>>>> for >>>>> lazy and not maintained. Beausage is another word for abused. Rusted is >>>>> not >>>>> "original"..." I couldn't agree more. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Monday, June 3, 2024 at 11:48:29 AM UTC-5 John Dewey wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Exactly 👍 >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mon, Jun 3, 2024 at 8:20 AM Jay Lonner <jay.l...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Yeah this has always been a weird bit of cognitive dissonance for me >>>>>>> when it comes to Riv — on the one hand, extolling the virtues of Joe >>>>>>> Bell >>>>>>> paint jobs, fancy lugs, and other details. On the other, the whole >>>>>>> “beausage” schtick, and an almost cavalier attitude about touch-up >>>>>>> paint, >>>>>>> dings, etc. I think the rat bike aesthetic works for a brand like >>>>>>> Surly, >>>>>>> which has always leaned into a punk/street attitude, but with Riv it >>>>>>> just >>>>>>> seems a bit off. My sense is that as a designer GP is kind of restless, >>>>>>> always looking ahead to new concepts and projects, and isn’t really >>>>>>> interested in dwelling on legacy products. Admirable in its way, but >>>>>>> you’re >>>>>>> on your own when it comes to color matching. Even the naming is cryptic >>>>>>> — >>>>>>> good luck sourcing Sergio Green or Ana Purple. Doesn’t seem like a big >>>>>>> ask >>>>>>> to also supply the paint code. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Jay Lonner >>>>>>> Bellingham, WA >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Sent from my Atari 400 >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Jun 3, 2024, at 7:12 AM, George Schick <bhi...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Interesting, this interaction between Riv and Testors. I'm sure a >>>>>>> color match could have been prepared especially for every Riv bike ever >>>>>>> made...*except* ...that first batch of orange metal flake Rams. >>>>>>> Since it was a two pass base coat/clear coat (which is the way ever >>>>>>> automobile is painted nowadays), it would take two bottles of touch up >>>>>>> paint to repair scratches. And it would be very difficult to apply >>>>>>> them in >>>>>>> such a way that they pretty much blend with the rest of the bike's >>>>>>> paint. >>>>>>> At least one poster on this blog some time ago had one of these Ram's >>>>>>> that >>>>>>> needed a repair of some sort. He took it to a shop where they repaired >>>>>>> the >>>>>>> frame damage then stripped down all the paint and repainted it in the >>>>>>> original base/clear coat colors that Jim references from House of >>>>>>> Kolor. >>>>>>> But that must have cost a fortune. A single can of those paints, which >>>>>>> only come in sizable containers - quarts, at least - which must be >>>>>>> mixed >>>>>>> with a reducer and then sprayed. Most painters would be reluctant to >>>>>>> do >>>>>>> this because they'd have to pay a lot just to get the paints and then >>>>>>> they'd be stuck with a lot of leftovers. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Sunday, June 2, 2024 at 9:38:15 PM UTC-5 John Dewey wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Over the years, Rivendell paint schemes come and go (came and went) >>>>>>>> seemingly 'who-knows-whoever-whenever' saw fit. Metallics, metal >>>>>>>> flakes, >>>>>>>> basic solid 'enamels' (for want of a better word). Ever changing. I >>>>>>>> can't >>>>>>>> imagine anyone in Walnut Creek grabbing a small bottle of carefully >>>>>>>> inventoried touch-up off the shelf, packing it and shipping to you. >>>>>>>> Way too >>>>>>>> many colors have come and gone. And the work required to inventory, >>>>>>>> preserve, keep track of it all. Yikes. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Turning the clock back, I picked up a call from GP (late >>>>>>>> 90s...early 2000s) while working in my office at Testors, the hobby >>>>>>>> paint >>>>>>>> company. We had long conversations, lots of emails passed between >>>>>>>> Testors >>>>>>>> and Riv with the intent of formulating touch-up paint for RBW (our) >>>>>>>> bikes. >>>>>>>> We could have, after all, matched any color anyone could possibly have >>>>>>>> wished for / conceived of. We were the best. Had plenty of beautiful >>>>>>>> little >>>>>>>> glass bottles, caps that insured paint good for decades when properly >>>>>>>> sealed up, and a willingness to get it done. As I recall now, years >>>>>>>> later, >>>>>>>> I sent way too many samples to count. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> It could have worked and in my position as the 'Testors guy'—and >>>>>>>> someone who still drinks the Rivendell 'Kool-Aid'—the program could >>>>>>>> have >>>>>>>> been successful. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Alas, it didn't happen—and I never found out why. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Never fear...you can, of course, wander into any hobby shop >>>>>>>> (assuming you still have one nearby—good luck with that) and apply >>>>>>>> your own >>>>>>>> paint-matching skills to get pretty damn close to any color. It's >>>>>>>> actually >>>>>>>> an interesting exercise...fully satisfying when you're successful. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> That is, for the couple dozen of us who really care that much. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> So, good luck y'all 🙃🚴 >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Jock >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> On Sat, Jun 1, 2024 at 2:45 PM 'John Hawrylak, Woodstown NJ' via >>>>>>>> RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Bill >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Would the Rambouillets being built in Japan have anything to do >>>>>>>>> with the shade of orange??? The Waterford colors seem to be the >>>>>>>>> colors >>>>>>>>> they used for the Rivendell models they made. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> John Hawrylak >>>>>>>>> Woodstown NJ >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> On Friday, May 31, 2024 at 4:54:44 PM UTC-4 Bill Lindsay wrote: >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Orange Sam Hillbornes and Orange Rambouillets are both "sparkly >>>>>>>>>> metallic Orange" in color FAMILY. They are not identical. The >>>>>>>>>> multi-coated treatment of the Orange Rambouillets have been >>>>>>>>>> described as a >>>>>>>>>> "thousand dollar paint job". Whether a scratch on an Orange >>>>>>>>>> Rambouillet >>>>>>>>>> could be made slightly less ugly with the $50 Hilborne Orange >>>>>>>>>> touchup from >>>>>>>>>> Waterford, that's up to the beholder. >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> Bill Lindsay >>>>>>>>>> El Cerrito, CA >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>> On Friday, May 31, 2024 at 1:35:04 PM UTC-7 maxcr wrote: >>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> Does anyone know if the Sam Hilborne Orange is the same as >>>>>>>>>>> Rambouillet orange? >>>>>>>>>>> Max >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, May 10, 2024 at 10:21:02 PM UTC-4 Roy Summer wrote: >>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> Sometimes you can find nail polish that will match or come very >>>>>>>>>>>> close. Clear polish will help prevent rust if you can’t find a >>>>>>>>>>>> color match. >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>> On Friday, May 10, 2024 at 9:31:18 PM UTC-4 gds...@gmail.com >>>>>>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>> I need Pea Sage Green. Got a "beusage" spot on my Romulus. >>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>> On Fri, May 10, 2024, 4:49 PM Zac <zachar...@gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> FWIW, I was checking the Gunnar/Waterford site to see if they >>>>>>>>>>>>>> had my paint color (I ordered a bottle when I first heard they >>>>>>>>>>>>>> were >>>>>>>>>>>>>> shutting down, but it broke during a move) and noticed they >>>>>>>>>>>>>> added some Riv >>>>>>>>>>>>>> colors: >>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Atlantis Green >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Cream >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Head Tube Ivory >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Homer Hilsen Blue >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Jay's Green >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Light Blue Met >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Light Green >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Pearly Arctic Blue >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Roadeo R >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Roadeo White >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Sage >>>>>>>>>>>>>> Rivendell Sam Hilborne Orange >>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> I think the touch-up paint is now shipped in plastic bottles >>>>>>>>>>>>>> instead of glass like I received. >>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> https://waterfordbikes.com/fv/store/Touch-up-one-step-p579850196 >>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>>>>>>> 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/c4e0d5ad-42b1-4ec8-81a2-123aee64d8a8n%40googlegroups.com >>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/c4e0d5ad-42b1-4ec8-81a2-123aee64d8a8n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>>>>>>>>>> . >>>>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>>>> 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/e072f0fd-5cdb-498a-97a2-84d931622e76n%40googlegroups.com >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/e072f0fd-5cdb-498a-97a2-84d931622e76n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>>>>> . >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> 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/7e604d12-ad67-4410-8aac-08ee035f4f00n%40googlegroups.com >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/7e604d12-ad67-4410-8aac-08ee035f4f00n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>>> . >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> 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/FAE8A57C-5F3A-46EE-82FD-60B7E4B3C73E%40gmail.com >>>>>>> >>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/FAE8A57C-5F3A-46EE-82FD-60B7E4B3C73E%40gmail.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> >>>>>>> . >>>>>>> >>>>>> -- > 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/1145235d-f3c6-4dff-90f5-bf022ca721d6n%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1145235d-f3c6-4dff-90f5-bf022ca721d6n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. 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