# Vaguely on topic - Article on Rivendell



## bulldog1935 (Jul 25, 2017)

Great Jan Heine article on the origin of Rivendell - keeping steel bikes alive through the 90s.
https://janheine.wordpress.com/2017/07/22/1995-rivendell-turning-the-tide/





built by Richard Schwinn's protege


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## dnc1 (Jul 25, 2017)

Nice article on these bikes, not a marque I'm familiar with I must admit.
Has the U.S. undergone the same renaissance in frame building that the UK has?
I chatted to  a young, enthusiastic local frame builder at our festival of cycling two Sundays ago.
Lovely frames, all built with Columbus Italian tubing.
It was great to see!


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## bulldog1935 (Jul 25, 2017)

dnc1 said:


> Nice article on these bikes, not a marque I'm familiar with I must admit.
> Has the U.S. undergone the same renaissance in frame building that the UK has?
> I chatted to  a young, enthusiastic local frame builder at our festival of cycling two Sundays ago.
> Lovely frames, all built with Columbus Italian tubing.
> It was great to see!




hi friend, yes, if you want to read old Bridgestone catalogs, Grant writes great copy - https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/
At the time of Bridgestone USA, the industry was fighting to stay alive by creating new niches and pushing techno, competition etc.
Grant went the other way, improving the steel bike by making it more versatile and reliable.
If you find the original XO-1 catalog listings, the term "retrogrouch" was coined in print about Grant in bike rag reviews of the XO-1.

Many of the best components and accessories kept alive today, Nitto, DiaCompe, were parts that Grant designed for Rivendell Bicycle Works.
He keeps low inventory and all of his frame designs have fairly short runs, which helps keep the resale value up on the discontinued models.
https://www.rivbike.com/ - you can find a fairly incredible archive here, as well, and going back through the Blugs can also be fun.
While his market is definitely affluent, I think Rivendell bikes can be described as bikes for grown-ups.




Jan Heine, the author of the article, has kept alive the French constructeur school in the US, with Rene Herse bikes, http://www.renehersebicycles.com/, and Compass cycles, https://www.compasscycle.com/
Jan mentioned several US brands - Salsa, Soma, All City, but there's a big school of custom frame builders in the US, https://store.oceanaircycles.com/products/rambler
and many others importing good Taiwan steel frames to build more affordable bikes.
https://www.cyclestoussaint.com/products/velo-routier-bicycle


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## dnc1 (Jul 25, 2017)

bulldog1935 said:


> hi friend, yes, if you want to read old Bridgestone catalogs, Grant writes great copy - https://www.sheldonbrown.com/bridgestone/
> At the time of Bridgestone USA, the industry was fighting to stay alive by creating new niches and pushing techno, competition etc.
> Grant went the other way, improving the steel bike by making it more versatile and reliable.
> If you find the original XO-1 catalog listings, the term "retrogrouch" was first applied in print about Grant in bike rag reviews of the XO-1.
> ...



Thanks for the info @bulldog1935. I look forward to some interesting reading tomorrow. Cheers!


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Oct 26, 2020)

I’m planning to do the Rene Herse conversion to my 1975 Schwinn Paramount Tandem.
Going to use Fiamme 700 tubulars, with Vittoria Corsa Graphene tires.


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## bulldog1935 (Oct 27, 2020)

Giovanni, you showed the CP braze bosses - are you going that far to alter the frame?  
Post some progress photos for us.


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## all riders (Oct 27, 2020)

For you Schwinn fans, it's quite possible that some Rivendell frames are made by Waterford. The two companies are partners in the company Heron. 

   Here is my"Rivendell", a 1986 Bridgestone T700(carried me thousands of miles). A Grant Petersen design--note the spare spoke carrier that function as a chain-slap guard--still a feature on some Rivendells. My bike also shows another Petersen element that continues today--mixed components. Rather than use groupsets,  he prefers to use whatever he feels is best for a certain role.  (For those with a keen eye, yes, that's







 a non-original fork. The OG was bent in a stupid non-moving accident)


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## all riders (Oct 27, 2020)

dnc1 said:


> Nice article on these bikes, not a marque I'm familiar with I must admit.
> Has the U.S. undergone the same renaissance in frame building that the UK has?
> I chatted to  a young, enthusiastic local frame builder at our festival of cycling two Sundays ago.
> Lovely frames, all built with Columbus Italian tubing.
> It was great to see!



As to the renaissance,  yes, many, many frame builders have been born out of this most recent bike craze. The fixed-gear hipsters with great lust for vintage steel seem to have some dedication in their ranks. I have lived through three large bicycle crazes and this most recent has really produced a lot more interest in craft.

   I point you to an online article(trouble linking it for you)--If you google "Icarus Frames: An Interview with Ian Sutton", you'll get it.
Ian is a Friend and a one-time workmate(much younger than I). He is a frame builder, who learned his craft from the MASTER Koichi Yamaguchi (3rensho, U.S. Olympic team frame builder ). There are quite a few young builders here in the States that have similar, if less lofty, stories. Here in Austin, I know of at least six, and I certainly don't know them all.


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## GiovanniLiCalsi (Oct 27, 2020)

bulldog1935 said:


> Giovanni, you showed the CP braze bosses - are you going that far to alter the frame?
> Post some progress photos for us.



All the way. I’m planning to chrome the frame, too. Chrome could have been an option, according to Richard Schwinn.


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## sworley (Oct 27, 2020)

Here's my 1992 XO-1, which I really enjoy. This is an older photo, as I keep updating it to be more and more stock since it's a significant bike. It is currently apart getting a different stem and an Avocet racing saddle. The second photo is how it came to me


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