Hey Andy! I just read your missive and my jaw dropped over and over....It's as though I wrote those words, not you! (OK, substitute graphic designer for commercial photographer). I too build my bikes to suit their "personalities", as they speak to us. On one aesthetic, I like harmony in the build, the parts, and the function. I've watched, as well, the Rivbikes, looking for one that has no duplicates to my quivver. I too will be a septuagenarian this year, and in my youth, one of our cycling coaches chided us on our bikes with the remark: "Your bikes aren't jewels, they are weapons!". Back then, I was riding my drop dead gorgeous Peugeot PX10LE, the same look as the TdF bikes in the early '70's. Fantastic scrolling lugs, appliance white paint with so many French decals and checkerboards and hand painted striping, chrome fork and stay ends. Brooks Pro saddle, sew ups. YEOW! It looked like a RACER! Even as a kid I loved the look of a great bicycle. And I raced the snot out of it...over 100, 000 miles. (I still have that bike from 1972)...aaaaand about 20-some other bikes that I love the look and function. When my spouse asked "why so many bikes?"...my reply: "Well, you wouldn't play golf with just one club, would you?" Crickets. Mic Drop. Shrug. "OK, I see your point". Now she has at least 4 of her own. Plus, multiple tandems & a custom designed quad.
Grant's books and writing continued to be the flame for this moth, and after a LOOONG search, I located the LAST Ana Purple Platypus 60 frame on the planet. It's my first real Riv. I've worked on my friend's lovely Glorius, and was smitten from that point on. But, I'm not a fan of some of the "cheesy" parts on a complete, so I really wanted just a frame to do it my way. As soon as my fenders arrive from Oregon, I'll have my "complete" Platypus. It's a 1 of 1. Thank you, Andy, for your excellent, if not scary post....taking my thoughts and words away. Now, lets get the ice and snow melted and find those many Happy Trails! JohnRobertWilliams Traverse City, MI On Tue, Mar 11, 2025 at 6:56 PM Andrew Scherer <[email protected]> wrote: > Hey, Andy - for me it's both in equal parts. Of course, what comprises > beauty and practicality is subjective. I started my career as a graphic > designer so aesthetics are always a thing but tastes and styles change. > Designers sometimes look back at older work and wonder, what was I > thinking? I was very active in club rides in the neon 80s and I remember > dudes with leopard-print Turbo saddle covers for heaven's sake (not me of > course, I was a Brooks man from the get-go). On the other end of the > spectrum some of my fellow club riders didn't care one bit about how their > bikes looked, they just rode the snot out of 'em. > > Five decades into cycling, I value having bikes with distinct > personalities and qualities, suited to different rides, and I avoid > duplication. Sometimes that means letting go, as you know ;-) Describing > how I build makes it sound a bit mystical - I start with what the frame > says to me, and consider what I've seen in the community that inspires me. > Sometimes I crank up Photoshop and do mockups. Ultimately I let the medium > of frame + components guide me to some sort of balance and live with it for > a bit. As I ride, sometimes a build remains stable, sometimes it slowly > morphs, and sometimes it takes an unexpected turn. I'm open to discovering > that the bike wants to be. > > I resisted Rivs for a long time. The first ones I saw about 15 years ago > seemed almost too perfect. I may have been in retrogrouch mode, but the > best I can recall is that I didn't feel a sense of the builder's hand, > especially compared to my beloved 80's Mercian. And at the risk of > offending this community I didn't care about the ethos, it felt precious. > Cycling is experiential for me, I don't really want to be a part of > anything but the moment of riding, and I'm not drawn to tribes. But as I > close in on becoming a septuagenarian I hope and pray that I'm losing some > ego and I'm sincerely happy that others are getting joy from their Rivs and > other bikes and I agree with some, if not a fair amount, of Grant's POV. > Just ride. On the occasion I chatted with the folks in Walnut Creek when my > Homer frame arrived, they were chill, friendly and helpful. What more could > I want? > > Follow your muse, and cheers, man! > > Andy Scherer > Manhattan & Woodstock NY USA > > On Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 1:04:37 PM UTC-5 Andy Beichler 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/9ffffc5b-5cb5-4cef-b74b-784fdb68b7b1n%40googlegroups.com > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/9ffffc5b-5cb5-4cef-b74b-784fdb68b7b1n%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/CAC9csfc4yGKiLvg0qZB_9ATgYQxqmy2Ax%2B5bg0FtM96Kgoxmfw%40mail.gmail.com.
