[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
On Feb 4, 9:50 am, Peter Pesce petepe...@gmail.com wrote: Can anything sum up the two shops better than the soap swap? Grant gave me a bar of the pine tar soap he sells. I can't say I was taken by the scent, reminiscent of a forest fire, though it's very very effective and definitely manly. I sent Grant a chunk of Savon de Marseille, an artisanal and traditional French olive oil based soap. Haha! This is so true. Great way to sum them up. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
one observation... the world of steel bikes, Nitto, and non carbon silver components is very small compared the bicycle world as a whole I imagine the relatively small size of the steel bike world is why people tend to lump its practitioners together. There are big differences in the Riv and VO design approach. Riv's tend to be mid trail with moderately long chain stays affording neutral to lively handling with modest loads up front and mid to heavy in the rear. VO bikes are in the French tradition low trail that remain stable with a lot of weight up front and offer a relaxed comfortable ride. Looking closely at their approach to handlebars, brakes, wheel sets, tires etc., the different approach is consistently there. Someone could easily have a VO and Riv bike with almost no overlap. On Feb 3, 10:47 pm, Michael_S mikeybi...@rocketmail.com wrote: one observation... the world of steel bikes, Nitto, and non carbon silver components is very small compared the bicycle world as a whole. I'm delighted that all 3 shops (and others) are able to survive. It would be a cold dark ( black and grey) world without all of them. ~Mike On Feb 3, 7:34 pm, William tapebu...@gmail.com wrote: I vividly remember my first visit to Jitensha Studio in my freshman year a Cal in 1987. I'd never seen a shop like that, and I can't say I've ever seen another like it. On Feb 3, 6:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. That is my understanding. The BOBs may have to chime in here, but I always thought Bridgestone in the Grant years was trying to translate at scale what the small, Francophile Japanese shops (such as Toei) Jitensha championed were doing. On Feb 3, 8:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Certainly both Riv and VO try to find their own niches in this small part of the cycling business, but I find a lot of commonality between the two. I think Grant seems to favor the tried and true proven stuff while VO seems to like to experiment with new versions using cheaper Taiwanese mfgers ~Mike On Feb 4, 5:55 am, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. That is my understanding. The BOBs may have to chime in here, but I always thought Bridgestone in the Grant years was trying to translate at scale what the small, Francophile Japanese shops (such as Toei) Jitensha championed were doing. On Feb 3, 8:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Can anything sum up the two shops better than the soap swap? Grant gave me a bar of the pine tar soap he sells. I can't say I was taken by the scent, reminiscent of a forest fire, though it's very very effective and definitely manly. I sent Grant a chunk of Savon de Marseille, an artisanal and traditional French olive oil based soap. On Feb 4, 10:42 am, Michael_S mikeybi...@rocketmail.com wrote: Certainly both Riv and VO try to find their own niches in this small part of the cycling business, but I find a lot of commonality between the two. I think Grant seems to favor the tried and true proven stuff while VO seems to like to experiment with new versions using cheaper Taiwanese mfgers ~Mike On Feb 4, 5:55 am, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. That is my understanding. The BOBs may have to chime in here, but I always thought Bridgestone in the Grant years was trying to translate at scale what the small, Francophile Japanese shops (such as Toei) Jitensha championed were doing. On Feb 3, 8:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
I think Grant seems to favor the tried and true proven stuff while VO seems to like to experiment with new versions using cheaper Taiwanese mfgers VO experiments with manufacturers, true. But most of the VO branded components are highly derivative. Most VO racks, brakes, brake levers, cranks, pedals have French counterparts from as early as the 1950s. The geometry of VO bikes is classic French. On the other hand, Riv has some fairly novel items such as the Platrack, splats, and was very happy to shift to the rapidrise rear derailer (although Riv appears to be out of stock at the moment). On Feb 4, 9:42 am, Michael_S mikeybi...@rocketmail.com wrote: Certainly both Riv and VO try to find their own niches in this small part of the cycling business, but I find a lot of commonality between the two. I think Grant seems to favor the tried and true proven stuff while VO seems to like to experiment with new versions using cheaper Taiwanese mfgers ~Mike On Feb 4, 5:55 am, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. That is my understanding. The BOBs may have to chime in here, but I always thought Bridgestone in the Grant years was trying to translate at scale what the small, Francophile Japanese shops (such as Toei) Jitensha championed were doing. On Feb 3, 8:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Jitensha is a design studio. Hiroshi is somewhat legendary, as a designer, in the Japanese style of classic Frenchy cyclotouring and randonneuring bicycles and Italian-esque road machines. Its a fantastic place, but not a bike shop. Been on Bancroft for 30 years, Grant hung out there when he worked at the Berkeley REI, according to myth. Rivendell, as we all know, is a place that does Good Things while offering all-rounders. I love the loyalty to Nitto, providing work for bagmakers and textile operations in the US and UK, and persistent resistance to the governing force in contemporary global capitalism known as race to the bottom -- in terms of price, quality of product and materials, work conditions, pay for workers, etc. I'm really proud to buy stuff from Riv and ride their bikes. I like how the Rene Herse and Compass offer really high-quality rando- specific parts for us crazy people. I am also lucky to have a high-quality LBS, Velo Cult, in my area and support them. Up the road in Oceanside, Pacific Coast Cycles is pretty great, too Esteban San Diego, California On Feb 4, 7:50 am, Peter Pesce petepe...@gmail.com wrote: Can anything sum up the two shops better than the soap swap? Grant gave me a bar of the pine tar soap he sells. I can't say I was taken by the scent, reminiscent of a forest fire, though it's very very effective and definitely manly. I sent Grant a chunk of Savon de Marseille, an artisanal and traditional French olive oil based soap. On Feb 4, 10:42 am, Michael_S mikeybi...@rocketmail.com wrote: Certainly both Riv and VO try to find their own niches in this small part of the cycling business, but I find a lot of commonality between the two. I think Grant seems to favor the tried and true proven stuff while VO seems to like to experiment with new versions using cheaper Taiwanese mfgers ~Mike On Feb 4, 5:55 am, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. That is my understanding. The BOBs may have to chime in here, but I always thought Bridgestone in the Grant years was trying to translate at scale what the small, Francophile Japanese shops (such as Toei) Jitensha championed were doing. On Feb 3, 8:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
Re: [RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Speaking of Pineapple Bob and Jitensha—check out this recent storyhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/boxdogbikes/5373227717/in/faves-natan/ (in the comments) about a sticker that ended up on my new-to-me Ebisuhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/natan/sets/72157625746148803/detail/ . -nathan On Thu, Feb 3, 2011 at 6:55 PM, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.comrbw-owners-bunch%2bunsubscr...@googlegroups.com . For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
I found the comments about the soap altogether more interesting than the diet stuff. On Feb 3, 8:35 am, Minh mgiangs...@gmail.com wrote: http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2011/02/paleo-rambling.html Not too oft intersection of VO and Rivendell, it's about the diet stuff so if you've signed off from that topic please move along. No comments from myself. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Interesting they are good friends. I could never put my finger on it, and certainly had nothing to substantiate, so even hesitate mentioning it as before now it was only ever a rumor the voices in my head argued over, but... VO always struck me as the Riv knock-off. East Coast vs. West Coast. Taiwan vs. Japan. Gentry vs. Guild... just goes to show it's all about baking a bigger pie. As for Stephen Guyenet, yes, excellent. Taube's Heine if you will. Also, for the somewhat skeptical I'd suggest Kurt Harris. Recently he's done some great writing differentiating within fats and carbs. It's not one or the other, it's the type of each. Best, -Allan On Feb 3, 6:35 am, Minh mgiangs...@gmail.com wrote: http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2011/02/paleo-rambling.html Not too oft intersection of VO and Rivendell, it's about the diet stuff so if you've signed off from that topic please move along. No comments from myself. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Kindle addition of Taube's book = $9.99. Very compelling - I might take the plunge. On Feb 3, 9:35 am, Minh mgiangs...@gmail.com wrote: http://velo-orange.blogspot.com/2011/02/paleo-rambling.html Not too oft intersection of VO and Rivendell, it's about the diet stuff so if you've signed off from that topic please move along. No comments from myself. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Allen, I'm with you, i've been a Rivendell customer going back to 1999 but i hadn't bought anything since 2005 until 2010 building up my Hillborne. So all these new sources for what i considered Riv'ish but i guess others would use a more generic term, bike parts like Velo Orange, Jitensha, etc was a surprise to me. I don't know how long they've been around and i don;t attribute the resurgence of classic bike parts to Rivendell (but i'm sure their advocacy didn't hurt). But i do wonder how they all interact with each other. It's also nice for me to have VO on the east coast as packages come a lot faster, and i can drive there in 2 hours in a pinch. I know some people are one or the other, but i don't find them mutually exclusive, there are things at VO i would not put on my own bike but that's just my style. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. It is a local bicycle store operated by a Japanese American that makes Japanese small shop bicycle parts available in the United States. Jitensha has never tried to be a mass marketer. It has an online catalogue, but no on line purchasing. Jitensha rather quaintly shuts down when the owner goes to Japan. Frankly, I never really saw VO as a me too company for that matter. True Riv and VO sell steel bikes and market more toward the commuter/ tourer than sporting cyclist. But Riv is and always has been focused around GP's rather unique ideas on how a bike should fit and look. VO's bikes are admittedly copies of classic French designs. The components Riv sells are usually not GP's designs, but rather nice stuff Riv finds that seem like good matches for their bikes. GP will usually only get into the component design fray when there is concern the components manufacturers will otherwise stop making a useful part. Riv does not distribute much, if any, components to local bike shops (heck, it hardly distributes its frames to local bike shops any more). As with its bikes, VO sells mostly reworked French designs made in Taiwan shops under the VO label. VO sells its components on line, but its main business is distributing them to bike shops around the U.S. and even abroad. On Feb 3, 2:36 pm, Minh mgiangs...@gmail.com wrote: Allen, I'm with you, i've been a Rivendell customer going back to 1999 but i hadn't bought anything since 2005 until 2010 building up my Hillborne. So all these new sources for what i considered Riv'ish but i guess others would use a more generic term, bike parts like Velo Orange, Jitensha, etc was a surprise to me. I don't know how long they've been around and i don;t attribute the resurgence of classic bike parts to Rivendell (but i'm sure their advocacy didn't hurt). But i do wonder how they all interact with each other. It's also nice for me to have VO on the east coast as packages come a lot faster, and i can drive there in 2 hours in a pinch. I know some people are one or the other, but i don't find them mutually exclusive, there are things at VO i would not put on my own bike but that's just my style. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
Hey, I'm thrilled that VO is in business... I think they provide a wide variety of great and useful bike frames, parts and products at reasonable prices. I own a Campagne handlebar bag, which I think is a quality bag. Regarding their bike frames, VO seems to have picked up where Kogswell left off after Matthew Grimm closed up shop. I can easily envision a VO frame in my future... (or if I have a good year, possibly another Riv... oh well) I had the pleasure of meeting Chris at the 2009 NAHBS.. he's exudes a great bike vibe and attitude. On Feb 3, 4:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. It is a local bicycle store operated by a Japanese American that makes Japanese small shop bicycle parts available in the United States. Jitensha has never tried to be a mass marketer. It has an online catalogue, but no on line purchasing. Jitensha rather quaintly shuts down when the owner goes to Japan. Frankly, I never really saw VO as a me too company for that matter. True Riv and VO sell steel bikes and market more toward the commuter/ tourer than sporting cyclist. But Riv is and always has been focused around GP's rather unique ideas on how a bike should fit and look. VO's bikes are admittedly copies of classic French designs. The components Riv sells are usually not GP's designs, but rather nice stuff Riv finds that seem like good matches for their bikes. GP will usually only get into the component design fray when there is concern the components manufacturers will otherwise stop making a useful part. Riv does not distribute much, if any, components to local bike shops (heck, it hardly distributes its frames to local bike shops any more). As with its bikes, VO sells mostly reworked French designs made in Taiwan shops under the VO label. VO sells its components on line, but its main business is distributing them to bike shops around the U.S. and even abroad. On Feb 3, 2:36 pm, Minh mgiangs...@gmail.com wrote: Allen, I'm with you, i've been a Rivendell customer going back to 1999 but i hadn't bought anything since 2005 until 2010 building up my Hillborne. So all these new sources for what i considered Riv'ish but i guess others would use a more generic term, bike parts like Velo Orange, Jitensha, etc was a surprise to me. I don't know how long they've been around and i don;t attribute the resurgence of classic bike parts to Rivendell (but i'm sure their advocacy didn't hurt). But i do wonder how they all interact with each other. It's also nice for me to have VO on the east coast as packages come a lot faster, and i can drive there in 2 hours in a pinch. I know some people are one or the other, but i don't find them mutually exclusive, there are things at VO i would not put on my own bike but that's just my style.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
I had the pleasure of meeting Chris at the 2009 NAHBS.. he's exudes a great bike vibe and attitude. Good guy and VO is a good company. I just do not see him as being a direct Riv competitor. GP and Chris believe in steel and are not so interested in racing. Otherwise, their niches are pretty distinct to me anyway. On Feb 3, 8:14 pm, Montclair BobbyB montclairbob...@gmail.com wrote: Hey, I'm thrilled that VO is in business... I think they provide a wide variety of great and useful bike frames, parts and products at reasonable prices. I own a Campagne handlebar bag, which I think is a quality bag. Regarding their bike frames, VO seems to have picked up where Kogswell left off after Matthew Grimm closed up shop. I can easily envision a VO frame in my future... (or if I have a good year, possibly another Riv... oh well) I had the pleasure of meeting Chris at the 2009 NAHBS.. he's exudes a great bike vibe and attitude. On Feb 3, 4:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. It is a local bicycle store operated by a Japanese American that makes Japanese small shop bicycle parts available in the United States. Jitensha has never tried to be a mass marketer. It has an online catalogue, but no on line purchasing. Jitensha rather quaintly shuts down when the owner goes to Japan. Frankly, I never really saw VO as a me too company for that matter. True Riv and VO sell steel bikes and market more toward the commuter/ tourer than sporting cyclist. But Riv is and always has been focused around GP's rather unique ideas on how a bike should fit and look. VO's bikes are admittedly copies of classic French designs. The components Riv sells are usually not GP's designs, but rather nice stuff Riv finds that seem like good matches for their bikes. GP will usually only get into the component design fray when there is concern the components manufacturers will otherwise stop making a useful part. Riv does not distribute much, if any, components to local bike shops (heck, it hardly distributes its frames to local bike shops any more). As with its bikes, VO sells mostly reworked French designs made in Taiwan shops under the VO label. VO sells its components on line, but its main business is distributing them to bike shops around the U.S. and even abroad. On Feb 3, 2:36 pm, Minh mgiangs...@gmail.com wrote: Allen, I'm with you, i've been a Rivendell customer going back to 1999 but i hadn't bought anything since 2005 until 2010 building up my Hillborne. So all these new sources for what i considered Riv'ish but i guess others would use a more generic term, bike parts like Velo Orange, Jitensha, etc was a surprise to me. I don't know how long they've been around and i don;t attribute the resurgence of classic bike parts to Rivendell (but i'm sure their advocacy didn't hurt). But i do wonder how they all interact with each other. It's also nice for me to have VO on the east coast as packages come a lot faster, and i can drive there in 2 hours in a pinch. I know some people are one or the other, but i don't find them mutually exclusive, there are things at VO i would not put on my own bike but that's just my style.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
I vividly remember my first visit to Jitensha Studio in my freshman year a Cal in 1987. I'd never seen a shop like that, and I can't say I've ever seen another like it. On Feb 3, 6:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
one observation... the world of steel bikes, Nitto, and non carbon silver components is very small compared the bicycle world as a whole. I'm delighted that all 3 shops (and others) are able to survive. It would be a cold dark ( black and grey) world without all of them. ~Mike On Feb 3, 7:34 pm, William tapebu...@gmail.com wrote: I vividly remember my first visit to Jitensha Studio in my freshman year a Cal in 1987. I'd never seen a shop like that, and I can't say I've ever seen another like it. On Feb 3, 6:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
[RBW] Re: VO/Rivendell Cross Blog Post
I remember a friend telling me you go in there and it looks like a bike museum - and you wonder what's for sale and what's an exhibit. On Feb 3, 7:34 pm, William tapebu...@gmail.com wrote: I vividly remember my first visit to Jitensha Studio in my freshman year a Cal in 1987. I'd never seen a shop like that, and I can't say I've ever seen another like it. On Feb 3, 6:55 pm, benzzoy benz...@yahoo.com wrote: On Feb 3, 1:08 pm, JoelMatthews joelmatth...@mac.com wrote: Jitensha should not be included in a list of me too Riv companies. Jitensha has been around for quite some time, possibly longer than Riv, though I am not certain on that. Jitensha is actually pre-Rivendell, so if anything, Rivendell is a Me too Jitensha. :) Grant wrote somewhere that he used to hang out at Jitensha, and that was where he knew Pineapple Bob of the Bridgestone catalog fame. -B -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups RBW Owners Bunch group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
