[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Kurt, I love that your son is adventuring with his friends on their bikes. I 
think he will find those upgrades so very useful. It was such a thrill for me 
to finally have a way to portage my things - and that didn’t occur until 
adulthood. He will love this new bag. You will spy on him and his friends 
because he will finally carry his phone. Life will be sublime. 

-- 
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/2594c939-1278-483d-ab01-4402ce2c77e4%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

['Kurt Henry' via RBW Owners Bunch]

I'm not getting my son a new bike for Christmas, as he got a new Woom 6 
last year.  But I'm buying him some accessories.  I hope that counts!  Woom 
now offers frame bags made of denim, sized for their frames.  My son is 
always reluctant to bring his phone, no wanting to drop or lose it.  Now he 
will have a nice place to put his phone, a few dollars (Duck donuts is on 
the back side of the park behind our house and a common destination for him 
and his friends), and a lock.  Woom is sold out of their locks so will have 
to get a regular one. Maybe one of the folding locks from Riv?  I'm also 
adding lights. It's that time of year!  Rechargeables are perfect, no more 
than he will ride in the dark and just up and down our alley to go see 
friends.

Kurt Henry
Lancaster, PA



On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:15:15 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
wrote:
>
> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
> but let’s see. 
>
> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where 
> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. 
> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. 
> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) 
> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d 
> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a 
> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went 
> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first 
> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait 
> for spring to come. 
>
> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored 
> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d 
> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all 
> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a 
> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real 
> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they 
> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those 
> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only 
> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big 
> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>
> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years 
> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going 
> to bring me. 
>
> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas 
> bikes are the most sacred of bikes. 
>
> Leah

-- 
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/2665665f-be22-4f4c-b2c4-3a58c8440099%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

"It really does feel like a quality bike, not a Riv but an economical and 
similar option."

They're comparable to welded Rivs like Clem and Roadini, or more accurately the 
run of Rosco Bubbes which didn't have a seat lug. Different design philosophy 
of course, but V-O produces some excellent MIT frames..I have a particular soft 
spot for those Campeurs. You guys did a great job on this one.  

-- 
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/cba91765-0c57-46c5-845b-e8b75f1580b4%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Pancake]

Joe Bernard wrote:
>
> That looks awesome, I think I sold you some of those parts! I'm thrilled 
> to see them on such a nice bike instead of in parts boxes. Those Campeurs 
> are sweet!

Several of your part Joe, thanks!

WETH wrote:
>
> Pancake, great work! Those campeurs are good bikes.

I'm impressed with the Campeur - it was used and modified, but I found it 
familiar to work on. Though this was my first time with Canti brakes so 
definitely learned a bit.

masmojo wrote:
>
> Pancake, Good job! Looks like your Brother-in-law is too big for the 
> common sizes available out there.

He's about 6'2" with long legs - was riding a 56cm Palo Alto with a short 
stem ... he was most impressed with the new bike having SPACE to sit and 
reach in.  

> VOs are great, I rode my Polyvalent to work today & on Tuesday.酪

It really does feel like a quality bike, not a Riv but an economical and 
similar option. Above all in a much better fit! Had to ask his wife several 
measurements and then get him to measure his height on a wall "to show your 
kids" and ask about his bikes growing up ... got all the details then built 
it to his specs without him knowing. He didn't even consider that the bike 
by the tree was his when he saw it! Actually, he was really just in 
desperate need of coffee and bacon so after that he started to wander 
toward it and I told him "it's yours!" 
  

-- 
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/1829fed0-84be-4f52-a747-de7563094d61%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[masmojo]

Pancake, Good job! Looks like your Brother-in-law is too big for the common 
sizes available out there. The friend I ride with most and with whom I've been 
riding with occasionally for over 20 years is too tall for most bike and he's 
been riding bikes that are too small for all that time. After years of me 
telling him his bikes were too small, 8 months ago with gentle prodding from me 
he picked up a used Kogswell PR frame off Ebay and enlisted me to build it up 
for him. 

The Kog is a 62 (& he could likely fit a 63 or 64, but it's a step in the right 
direction) it's the closest thing to a properly sized bike he's ever had. 
Between the frame & the super wide Cowchipper handlebars I scored off a buddy's 
Gorilla Monsoon he's totally over the moon with it.

I've been getting into his head over the years with my bike esthetic. His first 
bikes were aluminum now he rides steel, after years of conventional saddles he 
now rides Brooks. I still haven't quite sold him on racks & baskets,  but as he 
gets older I  think he'll come around to that as well.

VOs are great, I rode my Polyvalent to work today & on Tuesday.酪

-- 
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/bad6d8b1-3188-4053-a7f5-fc486084ecd1%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[WETH]

Pancake, great work! Those campeurs are good bikes.

-- 
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/c8c0e6e6-4ee6-4e13-9a35-5f514f2e50c3%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

That looks awesome, I think I sold you some of those parts! I'm thrilled to see 
them on such a nice bike instead of in parts boxes. Those Campeurs are sweet! 

-- 
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/6351839c-8c8d-442f-b75a-eccef1b71e96%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

I can't hit it today so I'm doing my Christmas ride tomorrow on my trusty 
Copenhagen Clem L. Merry whatever this day is for you, even if it's just 
Wednesday. Merry Wednesday!!!

-- 
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/06dea081-09d3-4b2f-9616-aa91b1cd9d3f%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

['Abcyclehank' via RBW Owners Bunch]

Merry Xmas to all.  Regardless of the particular bike I believe we can all 
hopefully agree what true gifts bikes are for any who see their value and 
potential (young or old).  
May everyone have many happy healthy safe rides ahead in 2020.  

Sincerely,
Ryan Hankinson
West Michigan

-- 
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/f32a37e3-ed3b-409e-b030-892e47378103%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Leah Peterson]

I have thoroughly enjoyed all these tales! I’m in MN surrounded by my very 
large family and have been slow to read and respond to any of these stories, 
but wow!

Roberta, I love your story. My absolute favorite stories are the ones where 
someone sets a goal, works to it, accomplishes it, and then cherishes the 
outcome. I think that we are often looking for the next best thing instead of 
enjoying what we’ve got/been blessed with, so stories like Roberta’s are so 
refreshing.

I’m so sorry the white bike got stolen after you earned it and had a 15 year 
relationship with it. And I’m REALLY glad you’ve got a lovely Joe App and a 
Homer that you now get to ride to your heart’s content. 

Here is a 51 second clip of an elderly lady treasuring and riding her trusty, 
creaky old bicycle in her 90s. To be out riding in my 90s and having a mixte 
that I treasure and trust and ride exclusively - I aspire to be her! 

https://youtu.be/1Kk0weQwG8M

Sent from my iPad

> On Dec 24, 2019, at 7:06 PM, Roberta  wrote:
> 
> 
> So many great stories here!  Sharing these is a fabulous holiday gift.
> 
> Matt--I wonder if your parents knew what went on that fantastic night.
> 
> Leah--We both share the love of cycling with loved ones.  Having a baby 
> sister myself, I can totally see you trying to include her in your play.
> 
> Erl--you are a super friend to share your knowledge, time, and gift of that 
> bike to your friend.  
> 
> My story is about me giving myself a gift, not necessarily a Christmas gift, 
> but it was one of the most exciting gifts I ever got. I was a freshman or 
> sophomore in high school, mid 70’s, years before I got my driver’s license. 
>  
> Literally, I saved my babysitting money.  I walked to our main street and 
> bought myself a brand new bike--white with drop bars and skinny tires, the 
> kind of bike a grown up, not a child, would ride.I gave them $105 for the 
> bike and tax in cash and I rode my way home.  I remember riding that to 
> friends’ homes, school, library, grocery store, and to my college jobs.   
>  
> I rode the bike for the next 15 years, through high school, college and my 
> move to Philadelphia, until it got stolen at a well-traveled, well-lit, and 
> “safe” place.
>  
> It wasn’t exactly a “just ride” type of bike, but I rode it that way, and 
> that was just fine for me.
> 
> Roberta
> 
> -- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google 
> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit 
> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/lKaAbGrprzI/unsubscribe.
> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, 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/b252c6d5-f488-4e6c-a218-e3bef5e5ee92%40googlegroups.com.

-- 
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/541C1C70-8C47-44C6-BFD0-1D7DD6BA26AC%40gmail.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

Roberta, I love that story! 

-- 
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/ffe4c86d-a492-4050-9dad-66c19f8f06c8%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Roberta]

So many great stories here!  Sharing these is a fabulous holiday gift.

Matt--I wonder if your parents knew what went on that fantastic night.

Leah--We both share the love of cycling with loved ones.  Having a baby 
sister myself, I can totally see you trying to include her in your play.

Erl--you are a super friend to share your knowledge, time, and gift of that 
bike to your friend.  

My story is about me giving myself a gift, not necessarily a Christmas 
gift, but it was one of the most exciting gifts I ever got. I was a 
freshman or sophomore in high school, mid 70’s, years before I got my 
driver’s license.  

 

Literally, I saved my babysitting money.  I walked to our main street and 
bought myself a brand new bike--white with drop bars and skinny tires, the 
kind of bike a grown up, not a child, would ride.I gave them $105 for 
the bike and tax in cash and I rode my way home.  I remember riding that to 
friends’ homes, school, library, grocery store, and to my college jobs.

 

I rode the bike for the next 15 years, through high school, college and my 
move to Philadelphia, until it got stolen at a well-traveled, well-lit, and 
“safe” place. 

 

It wasn’t exactly a “just ride” type of bike, but I rode it that way, and 
that was just fine for me.


Roberta

-- 
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/b252c6d5-f488-4e6c-a218-e3bef5e5ee92%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[ascpgh]

Sorry for my delayed reply, Leah. Yes, she's the same. 

Have you read Educated by Tara Westover?  An unbelievably similar story and 
challenges posed by that background and doing well, a semester remaining. 
The number of things we take for granted that are not is humbling. Her 
reaction to a bicycle was both fright and joy. She'd never had "fun" in her 
life until riding her bike. Learning the city began with following my rear 
wheel's path and signal like I did to overcome any hesitance to riding in 
the city where she lives. She rides in such a straight path now, others 
view her as a veteran cyclist and ask her for directions and advice. It 
happened so much one spring morning on a ride down to the Point that she 
kept riding for hours, repeatedly recognized and approached by other 
cyclists. A bike high for sure

It's hard to step back and appreciate how much you can help others when in 
a topic of your interest, we all do it here within our hive of knowledge. 
I've benefitted for sure and I hope my relation of experiences has helped 
others in some way, if but for the reading. 

It's humbling to see just how deeply you can affect another with what comes 
very naturally to you. We forget how into bikes we are compared to the 
other people on the street. I lose track of exactly how fortunate I have 
been despite what problems I've faced. Insight of the path and troubles of 
another sure reinforces that. 

Why folks smile when out in the rain, in the mud, far from destination, on 
a bike.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/3SVEwyvgPenhmWuD6

Andy Cheatham
Pittsburgh


On Saturday, December 14, 2019 at 4:40:19 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding 
Ding! wrote:
>
> I remember you mentioning this woman, maybe back when my son got his Clem 
> in 2018? You work together, right? How is she doing?
>
> I’m sure she is so appreciative , knowing how much your bikes mean to you 
> and all. She sounds like a good candidate for a new Clem when the next 
> batch arrives. 
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Dec 13, 2019, at 6:17 PM, ascpgh > 
> wrote:
>
> 
> Gift of the the Magi here, selling a bike to help a young student pay 
> tuition. She objectifies a Rivendell, so sometime. For now she has to get 
> through school and I opted to part with a bike for the cause.
>
> Andy Cheatham
> Pittsburgh 
>
> On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:15:15 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
> wrote:
>>
>> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
>> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
>> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
>> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
>> but let’s see. 
>>
>> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
>> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
>> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
>> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where 
>> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. 
>> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. 
>> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) 
>> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d 
>> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a 
>> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went 
>> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first 
>> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait 
>> for spring to come. 
>>
>> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored 
>> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d 
>> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all 
>> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a 
>> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real 
>> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they 
>> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those 
>> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only 
>> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big 
>> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>>
>> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years 
>> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
>> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
>> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
>> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
>> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
>> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going 
>> to 

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Garth]

While I surely don't have any wondrous stories about receiving a shiny new 
bicycle for Christmas .. growing up in Minnesota I do wonder what I 
would have done even if I did.  Seeing that outside was frozen solid .. 
"Hey Mom and Dad . thanks for the new bicycle  long pause  . 
I'll let you know how I like it in April ." Ahahahaahahah  

A ride on Santa's sleigh in winter  . now THAT would be fun   Up up 
and away we go .  any and every where with ease and grace .. oh 
what smiles upon everyone's Face !   

-- 
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/e9df7015-4283-482f-882f-a909120ff260%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[tc]

Cool!  This is a great story - you’re a great friend!  Tell your friend that he 
and his bike will have me and my custom NC 
State red Roadini to ride along with on the greenway if he’s up for it :-)  My 
son and I are headed to an NCSU basketball game at PNC Arena tomorrow as a 
matter of fact - Go ‘Pack!

Tom



-- 
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/7fc3839e-d87e-46ba-998f-75ef977868ee%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[David Bivins]

Wow, what a thoughtful gift! :) This made me so happy - it made my day!

On Sat, Dec 21, 2019 at 12:35 PM Fullylugged 
wrote:

> Weth;
>
>  What a great Christmas story. Bless you for your gracious care for your
> friend.
>
> --
> 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/337849e4-141a-47d6-8aa1-3257ebd7267e%40googlegroups.com
> .
>

-- 
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/CANEMrAvTAaynrQwKpqHeMOTixqk1o5KBU%3D3vNDYvjYGBfsUaKw%40mail.gmail.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Fullylugged]

Weth;

 What a great Christmas story. Bless you for your gracious care for your friend.

-- 
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/337849e4-141a-47d6-8aa1-3257ebd7267e%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Patrick Moore]

My bikes were all birthday gifts; I got all sorts of things for Christmas,
but never a bicycle.

After learning to ride 2 wheels at age 4 or 5 on a tiny, red solid-tire
bike, taught by the sophisticated, older blondes next door (they must have
been, what, 9 or 10? I do remember the red and the solid, all-black tires;
and I seem to recall that the drivetrain was fixed) my first personally
owned bike was a 20" wheel, blue cruiser my father bought from the family
next door for $5 or $15 or whatever it was back circa 1961, when I was
around age 6. But for birthday 7, 1962, he bought be a new JC Higgins 24"
wheel cruiser, probably from the auto parts store in nearby Clinton, MD --
that part of Prince George's County was, back then, still semi-rural, with
corn and tobacco fields and strange, shoebox-on-end clapboard houses near
our immediately-post-WWII development (where my father later learned that
he should hot have commissioned a house twice as expensive -- still modest
-- as the others nearby).

The JC Higgins was obviously a low end model, without fake gas tank on the
curved top tube, and with white enameled rims instead of chromed ones, but
I loved it, and rode it to minor adventures around our neighborhood, which
is still there and still largely intact 60 years later, per Google Maps
once you get away from Woodyard Road and Branch Avenue. I recall The Swamp,
with nearby tottering "mansion", site of the wasp swarm tragedy (still have
memory of 1st best friend Ricky Heinbuck, and 2nd best friend Larry Wilson
hauling past me, howing in pain from stings, while I managed to escape
Scott free); of the truly derelict, and much larger and probably real
mansion, in an aftergrowth pine forest across Woodyard Road (then a quiet
2-lane); and of escaping the neighborhood bully named (at least by us)
Buster Brown by sprinting, feinting left and then jerking right, while
Ricky rode trustingly right into his malicious arms. The obligations of
friendship didn't make me pause; I poured on the gas and took off for home.
I was still practicing rear wheel drifts around the groomed path, covered
with slippery Jacaranda blossoms, on our property in Nairobi, age 14-17,
after spray painting it with my mother's leftover gold Xmas decoration
paint.

But back at birthday 11, just a month or so after arrival in Bangalore, my
father presented me with a new, stock Hero, 28" wheel, rod-braked roadster,
with the full rear-wheel stand but only half a chaincase -- it covered the
entire drivetrain, but only on the outside. For birthday 12, he took it
away and had it sprayed scarlet and a AW 3-speed hub added --these were as
exotic in 1967 Bangalore as Maseratis. I later added my own hotrodding
touches.

That was it for birthday gift bicycles. I rode all around Delhi after
moving back to the capital for 7th grade, but after graduating, and shortly
before the transfer to Nairobi, I was offered and fell in love with a
glitter gold Raleigh Sport, and sold the Hero to finance the purchase --
starting another flip cycle.

-- 
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/CALuTfgvDaUd%2Bo96TVO-%3DOXj5OkCVefHaeLgOdGuuHuRZYE6HQg%40mail.gmail.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Bill Rhea]

Ok, my most memorable Christmas bike memory was when I was maybe 6 or 7.  I 
found a beautiful, red Schwinn Stingray under the tree!  I was SO excited, 
could barely believe it

Little did I know that my pop had bought it second hand, repainted it, put 
a few new parts on (banana seat, grips).  There was love put into that 
bike

Later, when I was 12 years old Dad took my brother and I to the old Schwinn 
factory in Chicago for the Schwinn service school, where I learned to 
assemble a Varsity out of the box and build wheels.  We later ran a family 
Schwinn business from '75 to '83, where I worked every day after school and 
on Saturdays. Still have a bunch of "Schwinn Approved" Snap-on tools in my 
box from those days.

Miss you, Dad, RIP

-br

On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 10:15:15 AM UTC-8, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
wrote:
>
> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
> but let’s see. 
>
> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where 
> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. 
> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. 
> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) 
> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d 
> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a 
> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went 
> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first 
> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait 
> for spring to come. 
>
> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored 
> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d 
> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all 
> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a 
> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real 
> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they 
> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those 
> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only 
> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big 
> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>
> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years 
> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going 
> to bring me. 
>
> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas 
> bikes are the most sacred of bikes. 
>
> Leah

-- 
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/fa1740de-ac15-4ac8-ba09-a2a8626d64a3%40googlegroups.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Bill Rhea]

Nice meeting you on Caltrain yesterday, Paul!  That is a sweet BMXer!

-Bill Rhea

On Monday, December 16, 2019 at 12:12:31 PM UTC-8, Paul Choi wrote:
>
> Just got a new bike but it's not a Riv. 20" bmx from Kink. 
>
> On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 10:15:15 AM UTC-8, Bicycle Belle Ding 
> Ding! wrote:
>>
>> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
>> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
>> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
>> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
>> but let’s see. 
>>
>> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
>> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
>> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
>> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where 
>> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. 
>> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. 
>> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) 
>> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d 
>> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a 
>> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went 
>> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first 
>> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait 
>> for spring to come. 
>>
>> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored 
>> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d 
>> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all 
>> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a 
>> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real 
>> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they 
>> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those 
>> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only 
>> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big 
>> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>>
>> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years 
>> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
>> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
>> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
>> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
>> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
>> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going 
>> to bring me. 
>>
>> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas 
>> bikes are the most sacred of bikes. 
>>
>> Leah
>
>

-- 
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/8aba0fb8-6b61-4487-b0cb-332ead93a58b%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[masmojo]

Yes, Rad is a good word. Esthetically in my mind it's nearly perfect. Sparkly 
crimson pearl with black crackle over the top.
The only downside is that I really don't typically have tons of use for a fat 
bike in Dallas, TX.  It's a little slow around town, but fine if I have time.

The moto bars give it a real clunkery sort of Flat track vibe.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/AQp9ZxsPLFBd72EA9

To my mind Crust is really crushing it right now.

-- 
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/cd5c46c1-6a61-4526-b8b1-1c38c07de915%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

That Scapegoat is rad. Dig the early-'90s splatter!

-- 
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/163c3384-6077-401d-902c-7a2f3dab49b0%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[masmojo]

Leah, your story parallels my own fairly closely. Actually my sisters bikes fit 
me pretty well, because the women in our family typically are not tall. 
It's funny you said that though, because 2 days after I  learned to ride a bike 
I was in the garage putting air in the tires of my mom's Raleigh 3 speed (which 
I never ever saw her actually ride). It was a ladies bike so I could step 
through and straddle it. Anywayz, I was emboldened to ride it, so I did! all 
over McGregor Texas! My ass wouldn't reach the seat so I just stood the whole 
time & the handlebars were about shoulder high. The next day my mom said " were 
you riding a bike down by main street?" "The neighbor saw you, don't do it 
again!"
A few years later the fork on that little second hand bike broke while I was 
going down the hill on our street & I did a wicked face plant.

Scapegoat picture? OK
https://photos.app.goo.gl/KGN96We4zJ9NN2vJA

Not sure who the fat guy is. 

-- 
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/ff9c7eac-5ba8-43d3-bcff-eb82a9b8ec2d%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

That's a spectacular story  *

* It's definitely funnier as a station wagon. 

-- 
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/283276d2-ac98-454d-8340-f0916a308f9e%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Ok, ok, these trips down memory lane of Christmases past are just too fun. Mas, 
I can *picture* this. I’ll bet your sisters’ bikes were 3 sizes too big for you 
and somehow it didn’t matter. Let this be a lesson to us all before we fixate 
on “fit.” Hahaha.

My turn. (Are we allowed to do this if it’s not in reference to Rivendell 
bikes? If not, a mod can correct me here and I shall respectfully submit. But 
until then, here’s my tale.)

I didn’t learn to ride a bike until I was 7. Why? Because I didn’t have one. My 
parents had no idea how much I’d love a bicycle (and neither did I), and I was 
the oldest of 4 kids, so there was enough chaos that I can see how nobody was 
sitting around thinking “Hmmm...you know what Leah would absolutely adore?” No! 
They were shooing us out the door and hoping we’d get lost at the park or 
possibly kidnapped so they’d have some peace.  

One day, my parents came home with a secondhand bicycle they had gotten from a 
neighbor’s garage sale. For ME. It was a Huffy Desert Rose with the tall bars 
and a banana seat. I think my parents were rolling footage of my first ride on 
one of those giant camcorders that sat on one’s shoulder. I’m also fairly 
certain I taught myself to ride that bike (there were no such thing as training 
wheels) and barefoot, which was my default setting. The family who owned the 
bike had run it over with their family station wagon*. The dad - handy guy, 
that one - had welded things back together and made the bike functional again. 
Then he sold it to my clueless parents. Having no other experience with bikes, 
I did’t know that the thing was nearly impossible to pedal. I just rode it. Not 
until the day that my neighbor friend got her Rainbow Brite bike with streamers 
coming out of the handlebars did I know that anything was amiss. Pedaling her 
bike was like a hot knife through BUTTER, and I was instantly a green-eyed 
monster. I was always asked her to trade bikes, and after one ride on my Huffy, 
she was smart enough to say no. The adults were clueless. The girl’s mother 
chastised her and made her trade bikes with me for portions of our play time. 
And so went most of my childhood, mashing the pedals, expending max effort jut 
to go at a leisurely speed. My brother got a gleaming new Schwinn racer that he 
would “ghost ride” - ride at high speed and bail just to watch the bike wheel 
off and crash. It was showy and fast and fabulous. We still have it; it’s the 
grand kid bike when visiting my parents.

One day Mom and Dad came home with two adult-sized bikes. They were cast-offs 
from my aunt and uncle, and I was enthralled. I had never seen such bikes. We 
were finally going to ride places together! One was a yellow 10 speed with 
skinny tires and handlebars like a ram’s horns - completely new to me. The 
other was a white mixte with upright bars and, best of all, a BABY SEAT on the 
back. We could all go on family rides down by the dam and through the 
campgrounds just like Rainbow Brite and her family, I just knew it. 

But...no such luck. My parents never took to those bikes and there they sat, 
parked in the garage. Undaunted, I learned how to ride my mom’s big white bike. 
It was scary every time as I was a wisp of a girl who had no business riding 
(barefoot, no doubt) around on an adult bicycle. What really drove me was that 
that bike had a baby seat...and I had a baby sister. 

Convincing my baby sister was no trouble, and my parents didn’t object either 
(peace and quiet was hard to come by). I’d have to lay the bike on its side in 
the grass, situate my sister in the seat sideways, and then heave the bike 
upright and mount it. We crashed all the time. All.The.Time. At all different 
speeds, doing all kinds of riding (racing?) But I never broke any of her bones 
(only her finger this one time, but not on a bike ride) so I think we can call 
these good memories. Or maybe she doesn’t have these memories because she had a 
concussion. I don’t know; I’ll call her today and ask.

My sons rode bikes on 2 wheels at ages 3 and 4, respectively. They have always 
been bike-rich and have missed that fact completely. I feel a little sorry for 
them that they can’t ever appreciate good bikes like I can. However, Baby Bear 
is anxiously awaiting The Clem Rider’s future growth spurt that will render his 
little Clem too small. Then it will be Baby Bear’s. “I’m the only one who 
doesn’t have a Rivendell. I’m like the Hobbit,” he says. But I am completely 
immune to his guilt trips because of the paragraphs preceding this one. 

Merry Christmas!
Leah
*I don’t actually know it was a station wagon, but I feel like it SHOULD be, 
because it’s funnier. 

-- 
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 

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Joe Bernard]

Let's see the Crust!

-- 
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/15a7b0f0-d64e-4015-a784-5120383f2968%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[masmojo]

Well, I don't have a new bike for Chistmas story.  That may help to explain 
why I am a bike obsessed adult.
When I was about 4 my sister & I  got tricycles for Christmas. I spent hours on 
that thing, we lived in a big house in a small Texas town. It was situated on a 
large corner lot so I could haul ass across the front hit the corner get it up 
on two wheels & down the side of the house. Back & forth for hours.
When I finally did get my own bike it was a used 16" wheeled bike with solid 
rubber tires; the previous owners apparently painted it with brush on 
Rustoleum. Ironically BOTH my sisters got brand new stingray type bikes they 
never rode, so I typically commandeered one of those for the local "jumping" 
sessions.
Fast forward some years to me getting my first job washing dishes @ 15 years 
old in Austin. After a couple months of riding my skateboard to work I saved up 
enough to buy a brand new Graco BMX bike. It's been a sorted saga since then.
Probably the best thing about having a crappy bike is I quickly learned how to 
fix bikes!
I finished building my new Crust Scapegoat a couple weeks ago so I don't think 
it counts as a "Christmas" bike. 

-- 
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/4035f201-ac45-4ed2-ad7d-099256861ab4%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Leah Peterson]

I remember you mentioning this woman, maybe back when my son got his Clem in 
2018? You work together, right? How is she doing?

I’m sure she is so appreciative , knowing how much your bikes mean to you and 
all. She sounds like a good candidate for a new Clem when the next batch 
arrives. 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Dec 13, 2019, at 6:17 PM, ascpgh  wrote:
> 
> 
> Gift of the the Magi here, selling a bike to help a young student pay 
> tuition. She objectifies a Rivendell, so sometime. For now she has to get 
> through school and I opted to part with a bike for the cause.
> 
> Andy Cheatham
> Pittsburgh 
> 
>> On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:15:15 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
>> wrote:
>> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
>> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
>> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
>> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
>> but let’s see. 
>> 
>> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
>> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
>> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
>> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where the 
>> winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. I 
>> would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. It 
>> had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) and 
>> it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d wheel 
>> it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a little bit. 
>> The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went back inside 
>> quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first new bike I’d 
>> ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait for spring to 
>> come. 
>> 
>> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored shopping 
>> at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d pedal home 
>> to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all weekend until 
>> church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a good 5 miles. 
>> We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real adventure. I don’t 
>> know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they crested the hills; 
>> they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those twisty gravel roads. 
>> Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only thing I loved to ride 
>> more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big old quarter horse, Bud 
>> - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>> 
>> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years old 
>> and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
>> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
>> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
>> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
>> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
>> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going to 
>> bring me. 
>> 
>> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas 
>> bikes are the most sacred of bikes. 
>> 
>> Leah
> 
> -- 
> You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google 
> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
> To unsubscribe from this topic, visit 
> https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/lKaAbGrprzI/unsubscribe.
> To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, 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/e4a55b46-36da-49d9-ab8d-10170d1eefa5%40googlegroups.com.

-- 
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/9028A14E-1185-45B8-A4A6-72F6E003012E%40gmail.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[ascpgh]

Gift of the the Magi here, selling a bike to help a young student pay 
tuition. She objectifies a Rivendell, so sometime. For now she has to get 
through school and I opted to part with a bike for the cause.

Andy Cheatham
Pittsburgh 

On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 1:15:15 PM UTC-5, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
wrote:
>
> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
> but let’s see. 
>
> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where 
> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. 
> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. 
> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) 
> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d 
> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a 
> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went 
> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first 
> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait 
> for spring to come. 
>
> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored 
> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d 
> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all 
> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a 
> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real 
> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they 
> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those 
> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only 
> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big 
> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>
> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years 
> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going 
> to bring me. 
>
> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas 
> bikes are the most sacred of bikes. 
>
> Leah

-- 
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/e4a55b46-36da-49d9-ab8d-10170d1eefa5%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Bicycle Belle Ding Ding!]

Yes, Kent, this story more than qualifies. Thanks for sharing it. ❤️

-- 
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/1ea6aed5-c44a-4c5e-8733-d3edaf799a5c%40googlegroups.com.

Re: [RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Keith Weaver]

Kent,

That's a great story! I hadn't realized you were posting on your blog
again, It was a great treat to get to read some of your other new posts.
I'd guess most folks on this list are familiar with your blog, but if not,
I'd highlight recommend all of it.

Leah, I don't have any Christmas bike stories this year, but I can
definitely relate to your tale of the joy and anticipation that new Huffy
brought to you!

Happy holidays to all,
Keith

On Fri, Dec 13, 2019 at 12:12 PM Kent Peterson -- Eugene, Oregon <
kentsb...@gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, this isn't exactly what you asked about, but here's a "getting a new
> bike for Christmas" story, that I wrote up a few years back:
>
>
> https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2011/12/santa-is-just-as-real-as-bigfoot.html
>
> 'Tis the season.
>
> Kent Peterson
> Eugene, OR USA
>
> On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 10:15:15 AM UTC-8, Bicycle Belle Ding
> Ding! wrote:
>>
>> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for
>> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people
>> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here
>> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country),
>> but let’s see.
>>
>> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll
>> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was
>> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th
>> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where
>> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year.
>> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter.
>> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well)
>> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d
>> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a
>> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went
>> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first
>> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait
>> for spring to come.
>>
>> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored
>> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d
>> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all
>> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a
>> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real
>> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they
>> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those
>> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only
>> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big
>> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff.
>>
>> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years
>> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their
>> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie
>> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike
>> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and
>> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and
>> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going
>> to bring me.
>>
>> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas
>> bikes are the most sacred of bikes.
>>
>> Leah
>
> --
> 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/d87540fe-6a97-4e75-8403-1fc169c45b82%40googlegroups.com
> 
> .
>

-- 
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/CAP588ZaPprgZRsdX9M%2BWeNueHfSxfj5xxwCGTypLM7FJO4YGKg%40mail.gmail.com.

[RBW] Re: Christmas Rivendells

[Kent Peterson -- Eugene, Oregon]

Well, this isn't exactly what you asked about, but here's a "getting a new 
bike for Christmas" story, that I wrote up a few years back:

https://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2011/12/santa-is-just-as-real-as-bigfoot.html

'Tis the season.

Kent Peterson
Eugene, OR USA

On Friday, December 13, 2019 at 10:15:15 AM UTC-8, Bicycle Belle Ding Ding! 
wrote:
>
> Is anyone is getting a new bike or getting a loved one a new bike for 
> Christmas? This will be a really fun thread if there are a lot of people 
> planning for new bikes under their trees, or it could be really quiet here 
> (I know winter is not peak bike-purchasing season for most of the country), 
> but let’s see. 
>
> I got a Clem a couple of months earlier, so I can’t contribute, but I’ll 
> include a short Christmas bike story anyway. My favorite gift as a kid was 
> the Huffy purple/black/gray mountain bike I got for Christmas in 5th or 6th 
> grade. The problem was that I was born and raised in North Dakota, where 
> the winters are long and fierce. I Could. Not. Wait. for spring that year. 
> I would walk out into the garage and stare at my new bike all that winter. 
> It had GEARS. It came with a WATER BOTTLE (that was cracked, but oh well) 
> and it had a small handlebar bag! Sometimes it got the best of me and I’d 
> wheel it out onto the street in front of the house and just pedal it a 
> little bit. The tires were perpetually flat, and I usually gave up and went 
> back inside quickly. But I was so content knowing that new bike - the first 
> new bike I’d ever had - was waiting for me in that garage. I could not wait 
> for spring to come. 
>
> My very best friend got the same bike (both sets of parents favored 
> shopping at Target), and on some lucky Fridays, after school let out, we’d 
> pedal home to her farm where I’d stay and ride her horses with her all 
> weekend until church on Sunday. It was gravel roads the entire ride, and a 
> good 5 miles. We were just kids (11?12?) in the 90s and it was a real 
> adventure. I don’t know how we weren’t killed by gravel trucks as they 
> crested the hills; they’d never be expecting kids riding bikes on those 
> twisty gravel roads. Also, what were our parents thinking?!? But the only 
> thing I loved to ride more than my purple mountain bike was my friend’s big 
> old quarter horse, Bud - so away we went. We were big stuff. 
>
> That Huffy was probably the nicest bike I ever had until I was 31 years 
> old and got a Betty Foy. I think Mom and Dad still have the Huffy in their 
> storage unit in my hometown. I’ll look for it this summer and take a selfie 
> with it. Now I’m completely bike-rich and marvel at my humble bike 
> beginnings. My first bike was a garage sale bike I got when I was 7, and 
> that is another tale. It’s so fun to look back at that Christmas and 
> remember how excited I was to taste the freedom that a new bike was going 
> to bring me. 
>
> I hope someone is getting a new bike for Christmas this year. Christmas 
> bikes are the most sacred of bikes. 
>
> Leah

-- 
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/d87540fe-6a97-4e75-8403-1fc169c45b82%40googlegroups.com.