So well stated, Andy! I too believe in practical bicycles, and beautiful ones as well. We all start out somewhere, and then evolve in our lives and interfaces with bicycles. I started racing on the road in 7th grade, on a 5 speed fendered Schwinn Collegiate. It was the same bike that got me to school everyday. AND, it was printed what Schwinn called, "Campus Green". It was metallic and with chrome fenders and sparkling green grips, it dazzled my eyes! Then, racing got more serious and the adults I was riding and training with spoke to my parents and encouraged us to get a proper (drop bar) road bike. There was this dynamite butter yellow Paramount at the bike store, but waaaay out of our budget, so I wound up with a Cool Lemon Super Sport, with the chrome fork. The geometry was spot on and just looking at it made me go faster. Then, I graduated to a full-on European road race bike, the identical model used in the TdF the year before, the Peugeot PX10LE. White with the most super scrolliest black lugs everywhere, sew up tires, the checkerboard decals, the gold stripes everywhere...it's still a jaw dropper to this day. I raced and trained on that bike for over 100,000 miles. Then, college, work, etc., filled my days. I started courting with a woman that liked to ride, but not as fast, so I was able to get my hands on a new Ferrari Red Cannondale tandem frame. Stunning! And boy did we go fast! I had a 62 tooth big ring on it. But none of these bikes were practical. Then the ATB MTB bike phase hit. I had the first Cannondale Super V, that looked like a praying mantis with the Headshok. I'd get stopped on the trails just so other riders could look at it. As my son came of cycling age, I fitted "kid back" system on the back seat of a tandem. Then when son number 2 arrived on the cycling scene, I designed a quad (in-line tandem for four) with Greg Peek from LongBikes in Colorado. After exchanging faxes of drawings for months, he fabbed a quad of my design, painted Ferrari Red and shipped it to the LBS, where I built it up, Phil Wood everything, (six chains, two kid-backs!) and Santa delivered it even without my spouse's knowledge. A total head turner and a land speed weapon (4 engines on one bike) Now, many bikes later, I blend my lifestyle and my bikes together. I have an Urban Arrow cargo bike, it'll haul 500 pounds! I use it for every grocery run, farm market day, hauling everything with it...it's basically a wheelbarrow bike! I have six titanium bikes, a Co-Motion Co-Pilot (take apart tandem and the flight cases) and loads of other bikes. I've lusted after a Rivendell for decades. Everytime I'd come across one on a trail or a ride, I was mesmerized. How could I blend the gorgeous looks of a Riv with it being practical? Well, careful comparisons brought me to the Platypus as the logical Riv. With racks front and rear and space galore, the hunt was on....and, for what I consider the most gorgeous paint color I've ever seen on a bike - Ana Purple. After over a year of searching, one finally came to light by staying on the frequency of the Riv owners. I found a frame I could build up MY way. And this winter I've been doing that. Once the fenders arrive, (I've ordered custom ones from Woodys Fenders), I'll have my dream bike built of beauty and utility. I can't wait for the snow to melt away here! Cheers to beautiful Rivendell bicycles and Grant's never wavering pursuit of the cycling niche of beautiful, practical bicycles!
JohnRobertWilliams Traverse City, MI On Wed, Mar 5, 2025 at 1:04 PM Andy Beichler <[email protected]> wrote: > I have always been drawn to practical bikes. In fact, way back in the > beginning of Rivendell, it was the marketing based on these bikes being > practical that drew me in and kept me a fan despite not owning one. In the > last few years, I have been realizing how much I appreciate beauty. I don't > recall Grant emphasizing that Rivendell bikes are beautiful but that could > be because I was so focused on the practical part. In the last few years, > I have been realizing how much I appreciate beauty. I have decided that > while I can understand people being drawn to other things about bikes, I > won't buy another bike that isn't practical and beautiful. > > I have a 1971 Chartreuse Raleigh International that is beautiful and > pretty darn practical. I have a Breezer Radar Expert that is super > practical and nice looking in a practical way. I think Rivendell manages > to do both incredibly well. I think if I buy another bike at some point in > the future, it will be a Rivendell. > > What about you? Is one of those more important to you than the other? > > -- > 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 [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/375057fc-c68c-4d30-974a-29c4ed9988b2n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/375057fc-c68c-4d30-974a-29c4ed9988b2n%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > -- John Robert Williams -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/CAC9csffV75Mx8Yig%3DqXDFo-fzxe31h7LcnhrDyv7QQqoZQDQZA%40mail.gmail.com.
