Love that you called this a "dad bike" because when my dad died in 2018, one thing I inherited was his Sam Hillborne and I love it for all the reasons you list, and because it is MY "dad bike."
Your dad sounds like he was an awesome person. I think bikes that are loved should be inherited, and a Hillborne is a great one for that pure sense of functional elegance. May you pass it down to the next generation. 👏🏽🚲
I am with you. I believe in the Grant Peterson School of Cycling. I revere mechanical simplicity. I have never ridden dressed in a cycling kit. Flat pedals are on all my bikes. I ride just I did when I was a teen. Thumbs up to keeping the Riv.
I too was a teenager in the 1970s when I started riding centuries and going on overnight and week-long bike tours. Then I raced - road & track; I shaved my legs, and every wheel set I owned had sew-ups. Then around 1986, while working at a shop in Philadelphia that sold Specialized, Gary Fisher, and Fat Chance, I started racing mountain bikes and cyclocross. That continued until 1992 or so, when I returned to my roots doing long-distance rides, centuries, and The Death Ride™️from 1999-2006. Now I mostly just commute and occasionally camp, and almost all of my bikes have flat pedals. Life with bicycles can have many stages, many paths; there’s no single right way.
I would never sell my 22 year old Rivendell Atlantis. So, at age 77, I gave it to my 30 year old granddaughter. It accompanied me when we rode the Underground Railroad route together when she was 18.
a couple years back, inspired and informed by this channel, I got a custom frame from a cheap shop in china. I devoured all of your videos on geometry and a couple months later a frame arrived at my door that was (mostly) built to my specs. It's my primary bike but every time I go back to it I re-fall in love with it. It's a bike that wouldn't exist without this channel, so, thanks for that
Russ & Laura, I applaud your decision to to make the move to Spain. I traveled around a bit there in the 1970s back when it was still under the shadow of Franco - but even so my memories are of a beautiful country and a beautiful people. I'm looking forward to your ride reports once you get settled in. And BTW, having recently built up a Rivendell Platypus I know what you mean about your Sam. Best of luck to you for the big move!
I've sold every bike I've bought before or after my Cross Check. It's simple, cheap, sturdy and you can make most things fit on that thing. It's not great at anything but I can and do put it away wet, muddy or sprayed with road salt regularly, I haven't washed it in the last five years and I commute on it year round. I reckon I'll keep it even after I "replace" it (if I do, can't see it happening really).
I just bought a new Norco XR S1 Reynolds 725 lightweight steel. I was meant to sell my cross check and a few 90s road bikes. My Cross check is lighter in weight and much more comfortable (smoother) on gravel. I love the disc brakes but the 1 month old norco is up for sale as my cross check is just better to ride.
I get it. I was finally able to get myself a Riv Atlantis and I fricken love it. The styling epitomizes, to me, what bikes are. Highly functioning art with practical utility. 👌💯
When I loaded the video I said to myself: "I hope he keeps the Rivendell..." It makes me happy to know that the Riv was indeed the survivor :) I hope you have many more fun adventures with that bicycle (the latest build looks lovely).
I’ll never sell my Klein mountain bike. I bought the frame and hand picked the components. It’s a ‘90s bike and my pride and joy. Best wishes on your move to Spain!
Brompton - not cool, light, stable, downright anti-digital. But, if one’s cycling is about going places, the Brom’s a big tick. Good luck with the move to Spain, if you fancy a trip to Scotland when you’ve settled do call.
There’s Riv, and then there’s everyone else. Greeeaaat choice. Funny, my two biggest bike influences ever are you and Grant. So this makes total sense, and my personal validation. God bless, and safe travels.
Mine? Specialized Rockhopper from the 90s just before they started using aluminium. I have much fancier bikes but I'm at my happiest on the steel Rockhopper. Not fussed if it falls and picks up another scratch but I love it and would be heartbroken if I lost it. Best of luck with the move.
I hear you loud and clear. If I had to keep only one of the too many bikes in my garage it would be my 26 inch wheel Long Haul Trucker. It has done it all. Pavement touring with treadless tires, GDMBR on knobbies and so much commuting with tires to match the season.
For me it is a 26" Velotraum VK10, now called R4. Has also done on- and off pavement tours, parts of the GDMBR on MTB tyres and most miles are racked up on commuting trips. However, the difference is hydraulic disc brakes and a Rohloff hub, both are running with little maintenance and work quite well. The load carrying capacity of 180kg comes in handy as well when going shopping or bike touring and also allows (fully loaded or light-weight) bombing down a hill at high speed with confidence due to a sturdy frame and good brakes. And a alloy frame, since they didn't build a steel frame in my size with a rigid steel fork. In my opinion is steel fork and alloy frame the better option to all alloy or even worse alloy fork and steel frame. The frame has to be way more rigid than the fork.
My 12 year old A. Homer Hilsen is my keeper. With Paul Racer brakes, a variety of friction shifters, and a multitude of handlebar options, it is the bike that always feels right. Every time I get on it and start pedaling, it is immediately like home.
Okay I have a Brompton si speed, à Scott in alu that I have modified putting a 11/36 with a triple front. I also have a trek 7/7 on which I have an 11/46 with a 30/46 at the front. The thing about a path less pedalled is that he encourages us to think outside the box
1990 wicked fat chance. Finally completed my resto-mod and I’ve never ridden a bike as amazing as it. Drove 10 hours round trip to get it out of Michigan. Took me over 2 years to get the parts I wanted to put on. What they say about fat chance and Chris chance, it’s all true. That legend was so far ahead of his time
I have a Team Fat Chance myself - the geometry is a little too race specific for me these days. I am looking to buy a Rim as a potential replacement even though they are now made in Taiwan, it's not a deal breaker for me.
I had zero doubt you were going to say Rivendell. It's so obvious that you and Grant see eye to eye on a lot of things, particularly when it comes to the whole party pace, un-racer and normal clothes for riding bikes stuff. When I rode my one and only double century 11 years ago using flat pedals from Rivendell, I had so many people aghast that I wasn't using clipless and wasn't wearing Spandex. I still have yet to own one. If I ever do, it would be a Homer for sure. My never sell bikes are my Raw Lacquer Brompton H6L as it is by far my most comfortable bike, my Specialized HardRock Xtracycle conversion and my Salsa Casseroll rando bike. Love all of them.
Koga Miyata Randonneur Extra (1986). Partly because I bought it really inexpensively from a fanatical German bike collector who had babied it but had too many bikes, partly because I put a Rohloff in there and it's so trouble free, partly because it is just so stable and reassuring on the tarmac and light gravel both loaded and unloaded. It isn't the fanciest or prettiest bike, but it does everything I ask it to do and never disappoints.
Yes! Appreciate your perspective. I think you did a great job putting into words what I find so hard to explain. How it feels to enjoy a really “good” comfortable, reliable, easy to work on, pretty, maybe even beautiful, utilitarian bike.
My 2 bikes I would never sell are my Surly LHT and my vintage Schwinn Continental. For mostly reasons that you mentioned which makes maintenance on them easy and they fit me perfectly. Thank you for the great content you provide!
I also have an older LHT. Mine actually has 26" wheels. I recently, after watching this channel for quite a while, replaced the original triple with a compact double, 40/26. I'm amazed how well the bike performs on gravel roads. Why "upgrade"?
Same here. Mine is a 2008 26" model. I still have the triple on mine, but a double would probably work for me as well. I did change the bars to trekking bars with grip shift. Makes longer rides very comfortable. I also have a dynamo front hub.@@donhuber9131
I feel that my Stooge Mk5 is the bike I probably won't ever sell. I have it set up with a Tumbleweed Persuader bar, 27.5" wheels with plus size tires on it (3" on front, and 2.8" in the rear). I can't pinpoint what I love about it, but every time I'm done riding it, I can't believe how good it rides.
My keeper is the Waterford 1900 Adventure Bike. Had it for 23yrs and it runs running perfectly. It is utterly mechanical and easy to maintain. I use it for touring, commutting, food shopping, utility bike, etc. Thank you for your RUclips channel.
1985 Rodriguez sport touring. Lugged and gorgeous. Even has room for 40mm tires! Gonna miss you both on this side but will continue watching from where ever you land. Eve of 2023 Ochoco Overlander. Temps in the 90s….
Totally agree with this post -- that's why I just bought an All-City Gorilla Monsoon (too bad All-City just closed it's doors). After riding bikes for 55+ years I missed riding steel, although I now enjoy 1X, index shifting, and mechanical disk brakes, and I'm all in with 650b. Looking forward to your new adventure in Spain-- :)
My 1994 Caloi MTB that I bought new. It has the original Manitou Answer shocks. I have played around with its purpose and function over the years. And I love it and it's cantilever brakes! Cheers to you, your Bride and your new adventure!
Grant and company re-asserted the value of many bike things I continue to treasure. If not for Grant, Heine and later Pacenti, 650b might not be available at all in the USA. It's perfectly understandable your attraction to the Hillborne, both in what it symbolizes and in what it does. That said, for the way I ride, Rivendell frames stopped being useful for me starting back in 2014. The steel tubing Rivendell uses is very stout, touring stout. Riding them just wore me out, and I didn't realize how much that was true until I started riding lighter steel tube sets. I was able to get Jeff Lyon to build me a similar classic frame set with lightweight steel tubing, I never regretted the decision. For me, it works. I front load the bike's rando bag, though usually with no more than 8-15 pounds, and the bike is designed to carry front panniers, though I've never mounted any. If not being forced to, I will likely never sell this bike, despite owning others, including more "modern" bikes. The Lyon just does a lot of things really well, and is maybe the most practical of my bikes. Best of luck PLP with your move to Spain, look forward to see what you do once you have settled in your new home.
This bike seems to have passed me by on your channel I really like the attention to detail on it. The way the lugs are painted and the decals I think that frame is beautiful.
My 1984 Miyata 710 was my racing/triathlon bike, but really just had the classic '80s Japanese road bike build. I recently pulled it out of retirement, cold-set the rear dropouts to 130mm and built up a 1x11 flat-bar townie with Ultegra 600EX brakes and a Nitto Campee rear rack. The frame was wide enough for 700x28c Panaracer GravelKings, so some mild off-pavement rides are possible. I ride this bike about 20 miles a day commuting. It is absolutely silent and the SL700 shifter with R7000 DR work flawlessly.
Me too. You are right. It’s a tool, beautifully made and can do it all. Rode my 10 Y/O Hillborne Boston to Pacific Ocean 2 years ago, doing so again next year.
Hi Russ. My 1996 Rivendell allrounder for sure. Canti’s, 26 inch wheels and a triple Ritchey logic crank. I bought this when riv first started selling Waterford built frames. I love it so much it hangs on the wall in my house between rides. Will be giving it repaint next year. My vicious cycles 2002 motivator 29er. Non suspension corrected rigid fork. Perfect for the trails I ride. Best wishes on this new venture.
I like that Riv bike a lot. Good choice. Right now, bike I wouldn’t sell is our two CO-Motion tandems. We ride with our two boys. Such a fun family sport. Both rolling on ReneHerse 650bX48 slicks.
I'm in the same boat, Russ. I've got a circa 2009 Sam Hillborne and love it....wouldn't trade it for anything. Great video, as always. Thanks for making good content.
Same as you. The bike I'd never sell is my Sam Hillborne. I have the 2TT side pull brake version. I currently have it set up with the supremely capable Paul Racer center pulls. Drop bar, bar cons, and 44mm RH tires set up tubeless. The bike feels like an old friend every time I hop on it. It's capable of taking me on any road that I am willing to ride and just never lets me down. Thanks for this video which helped to serve as a reminder for why I love my Riv as well.
Same here. The Hillborne is the least trendy/gadgety among almost every competing bike in its class. It’ll do anything and will last a lifetime if cared for properly. Anticipating coming challenges (I’m over 60) I recently added a Platypus, which is essentially the same bike but with a step-through frame. I’ll keep both forever.
Like mentioned above a few times, going with the Surly Cross Check. It’s the middle school of bikes: a gateway to experiences, experimenting, and exploration! It’s never really disappointed me.
Russ & Laura, I wish you the very best on your new adventure and move to Spain. I think that you only live once and to make this change in life is an exciting one. Take care and we will all be looking forward to seeing and hearing how this goes. I am sure that you will thrive and make many new friends wherever this may take you...keep us informed and again, best of luck to you guys. Thank you for all of your honest advice and commentary. It is always like stopping by for a chat when I click on one of your posts. Take care....John
For me, my Brompton and Surly Cross Check in single speed guise with woodchipper bars. Both are bikes that I genuinely enjoy riding and cannot even pretend to ride fast.
Welcome to Europe! My surly ogre from 2016, it has carry me around many countries, it has patiently let me work on it as I learned how to fix bikes, it has been the experimental animal of all my weird ideas of how should I built it. It is incredibly versatile, and it seems still perfectly fine to keep going for more than twice the distance is has already ridden. A good old adventure companion, it will be kept with respect even if it ever brake down before I do, which is not sure!
Steelman cyclocross single speed. 853 tubes with Paul dropouts, Paul Hubs. It’s 25 years old. It’s the go to. Just put a fresh set of wheels on it. Stem is 110 now not 120 that I rode at 26 years old. I don’t attack steep hills any longer, but it’s geared so I can get everywhere if I pick the proper grade climbs. I enjoy that it’s the exact geometry of so many popular gravel rigs today, it clears 45c’s, I built it and used it like a gravel bike since the beginning. Still running original RF Turbine cranks and RF square taper bb, it gets fresh grease every other year. Like new still it’s insane. Original King HS, everything else has been changed a little. I have a few other rigs I can’t part with either, but I have spent so much time with this machine it’s the one.
Thanks for making this video Russ. I guessed the Rivendell before you even said it. 😊Makes perfect sense to me. I think my keeper would be my Thunderhawk. I was lucky enough to get the version without internal cable routing. It checks all the boxes for me. It just feels right and makes me smile every time I jump on it. I’ve learned so much from watching your channel. Thanks so much for all you do. It’s made me much more knowledgeable and made bicycling that much more enjoyable in the process. Thank you!
Almost all of these bike reviews seem to think internal cable routing is a significant advantage. I do not think external cables cause a lot of drag nor are they prone to sang on items. Unlike internally routed cables, they are easily changed. I think you were lucky.
Russ I haven’t even watched this video yet but I’m currently searching for the one, do it all, keep forever bike. I’m excited to hear your comments here.
My Rivendell Appaloosa for sure! It’s the do anything bike, from commuting to easy trail to bike camping. I’m hoping to take it on some longer tours soon, too.
Yes, Please! My Homer Hilsen is the one bike I'll never sell. I bash around trails on it, using Rene Herse Switchbacks. It's a delight to ride. So nimble and precise in the front and long/stable in the rear. I got from Riv with Ablastache bars. I know, full on poseur! Honestly, I love those bars. My Trek Domane is gathering dust on about to go on the market. Thanks, Russ! Very best to you and Laura on the new chapter!
2017 Blue Disc Trucker, almost same geometry of the Riv Atlantis at the time . Albastache handlebars, flat pedals, B17, steady and comfortable. Also my Motobecane Grand Touring that I rode across Europe in 1978. It is having a dignified retirement...
I read the title and knew instantly the Sam was going to be the answer here. I bought my first Sam in 2010 and have been a Riv Rider exclusively since then; it's the one brand I can count on to give me exactly what I want and nothing I don't need. "I know what I like" -- the best reason of all. Best of luck on your move!
Nice bike! The bike I’ll never sell is my blue and yellow LeMond Zurich. I’m told frequently that I should upgrade my bike but I love the way that it fits, rides, and handles. And it’s 100% mechanical, which I prefer.
@@jfspurlin1 Just bought a 2002 Greg Lemond Buenos Aires steel bike. Like it as much as my Specialized carbon Tarmac. I don't need to keep up with the Joneses. A great bike is a great bike.
I’ve been enjoying your channel. I own a couple of unique bikes, one of which I just got returned to me tonight by a friend who I sold it to 20 plus years ago. It’s a Braxton mtn bike which Sam Braxton built for me in 1986. I also have a Braxton racing bike (1983), a 1998 Salsa mtn bike. All of these bikes have great meaning to me for different reasons. My wife also has a Braxton mtn. bike that was built for her for a wedding present.
Another Rivendell bike owner here. It has been one year ago today since I bought my first Rivendell bike. It is a Clem Smith Jr. "L" bike. Since then, I have grown to love it in every way as a senior cyclist, the step-through frame, an upright riding position and the low gears to the elongated chain stays. It is a keeper. I would not want to sell it whatsoever. However, one day, I would like to trade it for a 59cm RBW blue frameset from my 59cm Lime Olive Green frameset. I totally identify with what you are saying about your Hillbourne. I am glad to hear that you are keeping it. Ride on and enjoy your move to Spain.
Glad you found such a bike for yourself, Russ - that’s awesome. I definitely have 1 bike that is my forever bike: a 2016 Bianchi Specialissima with Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed trans and Fulcrum carbon wheels with ceramic bearings. Gifted to me by my sis after I completed my first round of cancer treatments. Strangely enough, however, my go-to bike for almost all my rides is a humble 2015 Specialized Allez Sport with Sora and newly added Shimano 105 wheel set due to the stock freewheel failing and not being serviceable.
S.H. is a lovely bike. No need to explain, although you did most eloquently. As for me it's my 2011 Bemiss Cockroach. Custom build from a friend in eastern NY. Does it all and I ride it much more than my other 6 bikes.
Beautiful choice Russ! My Surly LHT is the bike that puts a smile on my face everyday... even just by looking at it on my living room wall or riding it down Portugal's most beautiful trails!
Wonderful post. Best wishes for Spain. It will be great to learn about Euro biking/touring. Rescued a 1968 Bruce Gordon frame a few years ago. Just completed the project with vintage Campy and other parts. Old School steel makes for a mellow ride.
Black Gitane track bike 1984. Have never fixed one thing except new wheels when I got it and tires (Just got airless tannus). I have comfy grandma bars and an easy gear. Just recently a wald pizza rack. It’s the best, after 25 years. Most fun. Effortless. Reliable. I have recently got a surly krampus, which is nice too, but one fear fixed still has me.
My go to bike is my rigid frame Ibis # 91 cro moly 1986. Drop bars with Cunningham speed masters, Phil Wood hubs. Really has served me well. Having Scot and Wes build it up was a fun time too.
I bought and love my Bearclaw thunderhawk. I did buy it because of your review and have had no regrets. I appreciate your reviews and opinions/ takes on cycling. Hope the move to Rota goes well!
I prob would have kept it if I had gotten the V1 with the external routing. The internal routing was no bueno for the amount of times I have to change parts for the channel.
My forever bike and agree 💯 v1 was better! Jason originally advertised it as you’d understand why external routing is better if you work on your own bike
I can see why you would keep that bike. It's a classic! The craftsmanship is amazing! My keeper is an 89 Cannondale SM 500. I bought it new and have lugged it around with me ever since. Not the greatest bike and since it's pre-standards, it's frustratingly difficult to upgrade. But It served as a commuter for several years where I put over 10K miles on it, and now is the platform for an e-bike kit. Kids will inherit it after I'm gone.
Rivendell Appaloosa For all the same reasons you mention here. It’s an over-capable, mechanically simple, gorgeous, Swiss army bike & that’s home for me.
I still have my very first adult bike--a 1980's Kuwahara Sierra Grande. I don't ride it often anymore, but when I do it is like an old friend. Realistically I am only keeping it for sentimental reasons. Not only was it my first "adult" bike, but it was the first thing I bought with my first "adult" paycheck.
I don't have any bikes with thru axles, one bike with mechanical disc brakes, and all of my bikes have threaded BB's and clearance for at least 35's. They're not the fastest or most modern but they're mine and they work. That's all that matters to me. Happy travels Russ and Laura!!!
I hope you love your new home. I have been riding Rivendells since 1997 when I got my first Road. Another slightly larger one followed then an AR and then a Custom. I am a lover of the shorter chainstay Rivendells and have a Hillborne and a Saluki currently . I have had about 10 Rivendells, prefer 650b models and only sold my custom and a few others due to a car accident and back injury where I thought my riding days had ended. 10 years off the bike, now in my ‘70’s I have been riding again for 4 seasons. Slower and shorter distances but that is fine. I still love to ride. The Hillborne is a special bike, very happy with it.
I knew it would be the Riv. Anyone who has followed you for the long haul knows that’s where your mantra comes from. Beautiful bike. Mine is my Raleigh Clubman from 1983, sympathetically restored with more modern parts. In essence, it’s very similar to an early Rivendell. A roadish bike that you can do anything that you’d reasonably expect to do on a bike. Are you finding the downsizing for Spain cathartic or stressful?
You made the right choice in keeping the Riv! I’d love to have one, and have set up my bikes largely in the style they put forth with their bikes. My one keeper bike is probably my Giant Via 2 with its split top tube. I’ve modified everything about the bike to my liking, such as it having 9 speed friction thumbies on alt bars. It’ll handle 700x42 tires with room to spare, it’s comfortable on all surfaces, and it gets complements every time I ride it.
Good luck with the move and look forward to sharing a bit of your new life. For me my Clem Smith Jr L for sure is the keeper. The best bike I’ve ever owned by a long long shot and it’ll never go.
My companion - multiple iterations - multiple Trips, Commutes, Dayrides: Salsa Fargo ❤️ 2 of 2 in the staple: Rivbike Atlantis 2022 - still too young & too few rides to feel 100% dialed in atm.
A Rivendell is my dream bike, specifically the Hillborn! When I got back into cycling, during the shortage, I picked up a used Miyata 621-ST touring bike. I've built it up exactly as I like it. No matter what I buy in the future, even a Riv, the Miyata will always be with me.
Canti All City space horse with diagonal dropouts. I've always disliked the color I ended up with, maybe I'll paint it someday, but the lively yet loadable ultra-versatility of this bike has never and likely will never let me down. I have two mtb's, and am also working on a zippier vintage Italian steel road bike, but if I could keep only one, it would be the space horse.
My 10+ year old bianchi nirone 7. Shortened the stem, raised the handle bar, fitted a comfortable saddle. It just fits really well. Planning to build a more comfortable setup like yours as I just hit 40, but not selling the N7, bought it when I was in Bangladesh, was with me for 3 years in Myanmar and now riding it in London. Tons of good memories with this one :)
Your original videos and review of your Sam Hillborne are what finally tipped me over the edge into purchasing one myself (dark gold) and 3 years later I have zero regrets. I’d echo that it “feels like home.” It’s the bike I ride the most, on all kinds of surfaces. As for the bike I’m least likely to ever sell, that’s easy. My 93 Bontrager Race hardtail. It puts a goofy grin on my face every time I ride it. So nimble, so fun, and climbs like a freakin’ goat.
A bike that lets you feel most like yourself, without pretending, is a lovely concept. I wish more of the cycling world centered around that! I'm also chasing after that Peak Mechanical bike these days- something I can have long into the future that will make the most of the cable-actuated, rim brake era components. As someone who tinkers as much as they ride, electronics and hydro brakes just aren't the same fun, nor do they have the same tactile satisfaction when riding.
My 1999 Dawes 1-Down, a drop-bar 26" wheel touring bike that looks very similar to your Rivendell. V brakes, downtube friction shifters, 631 Reynolds frame, huge tyre clearance - it just does everything competently and is still good by todays standards. Gets admiring comments when riding with modern gravel bikes too, people thinking it's new.
I'll never sell the neglected '85 Trek 870 I picked up off CL a couple years ago. Thanks to your influence it has Albatross bars tand Rene Herse tires. The only upgrade has been to a 7 speed cassette since it needed new wheels anyways but, again to your influence, I kept the old Shimano friction shifters and have been slowly adapting to them. It's a simple, comfy bike that I just find myself picking for more of my rides. That bike makes me feel like a little kid again, riding just for the sake of riding.
I like that "home" feeling of riding bikes I've owned since new in the 80s. They've gone through groupset changes, but they are still home, and I will die with them most likely.
We aren't surprised! Thanks for the support and good luck with the move :)
Not either, best looking bikes I think I have ever seen. I want one and will only be able to afford if I find one some does not know what they have.
Love that you called this a "dad bike" because when my dad died in 2018, one thing I inherited was his Sam Hillborne and I love it for all the reasons you list, and because it is MY "dad bike."
❤
Your dad sounds like he was an awesome person. I think bikes that are loved should be inherited, and a Hillborne is a great one for that pure sense of functional elegance. May you pass it down to the next generation. 👏🏽🚲
That's sweet
I am with you. I believe in the Grant Peterson School of Cycling. I revere mechanical simplicity. I have never ridden dressed in a cycling kit. Flat pedals are on all my bikes. I ride just I did when I was a teen. Thumbs up to keeping the Riv.
Rivendell Reader: required reading!
🎯👍🍻
I'm riding just like I was a teen in the 70s, with clips, drops, but I do wear a helmet now, though. Lol
I too was a teenager in the 1970s when I started riding centuries and going on overnight and week-long bike tours. Then I raced - road & track; I shaved my legs, and every wheel set I owned had sew-ups. Then around 1986, while working at a shop in Philadelphia that sold Specialized, Gary Fisher, and Fat Chance, I started racing mountain bikes and cyclocross. That continued until 1992 or so, when I returned to my roots doing long-distance rides, centuries, and The Death Ride™️from 1999-2006. Now I mostly just commute and occasionally camp, and almost all of my bikes have flat pedals. Life with bicycles can have many stages, many paths; there’s no single right way.
I would never sell my 22 year old Rivendell Atlantis. So, at age 77, I gave it to my 30 year old granddaughter.
It accompanied me when we rode the Underground Railroad route together when she was 18.
Simple, mechanical & genuine. Uninfluenced by trends and fashion. The joys of true bicycling.
a couple years back, inspired and informed by this channel, I got a custom frame from a cheap shop in china. I devoured all of your videos on geometry and a couple months later a frame arrived at my door that was (mostly) built to my specs. It's my primary bike but every time I go back to it I re-fall in love with it. It's a bike that wouldn't exist without this channel, so, thanks for that
I'd never sell my Cross Check. Might not be as fancy as this or as good as that, but it's good enough to get ya there.
Russ & Laura, I applaud your decision to to make the move to Spain. I traveled around a bit there in the 1970s back when it was still under the shadow of Franco - but even so my memories are of a beautiful country and a beautiful people. I'm looking forward to your ride reports once you get settled in. And BTW, having recently built up a Rivendell Platypus I know what you mean about your Sam. Best of luck to you for the big move!
And the weather...and the food....
+1 on the Platy!
I've sold every bike I've bought before or after my Cross Check. It's simple, cheap, sturdy and you can make most things fit on that thing. It's not great at anything but I can and do put it away wet, muddy or sprayed with road salt regularly, I haven't washed it in the last five years and I commute on it year round. I reckon I'll keep it even after I "replace" it (if I do, can't see it happening really).
Gotta love Cross-Check. Pretty sure I will never sell mine.
Same for me. I actually plan on building a new gravel bike but the Cross Check is going to become a single speed
I just bought a new Norco XR S1 Reynolds 725 lightweight steel. I was meant to sell my cross check and a few 90s road bikes. My Cross check is lighter in weight and much more comfortable (smoother) on gravel. I love the disc brakes but the 1 month old norco is up for sale as my cross check is just better to ride.
I get it. I was finally able to get myself a Riv Atlantis and I fricken love it. The styling epitomizes, to me, what bikes are. Highly functioning art with practical utility. 👌💯
When I loaded the video I said to myself: "I hope he keeps the Rivendell..."
It makes me happy to know that the Riv was indeed the survivor :) I hope you have many more fun adventures with that bicycle (the latest build looks lovely).
You are a great spokes person for the types of bike the general public needs.
I’ll never sell my Klein mountain bike. I bought the frame and hand picked the components. It’s a ‘90s bike and my pride and joy. Best wishes on your move to Spain!
Brompton - not cool, light, stable, downright anti-digital. But, if one’s cycling is about going places, the Brom’s a big tick. Good luck with the move to Spain, if you fancy a trip to Scotland when you’ve settled do call.
My Brompton is also my never-sell bike.
Here here.
100%
Same.
For europe i'd keep a brompton to jump on trains seamlessly ride to and from the station in seconds, best kind of freedom
There’s Riv, and then there’s everyone else. Greeeaaat choice. Funny, my two biggest bike influences ever are you and Grant. So this makes total sense, and my personal validation. God bless, and safe travels.
Mine? Specialized Rockhopper from the 90s just before they started using aluminium. I have much fancier bikes but I'm at my happiest on the steel Rockhopper. Not fussed if it falls and picks up another scratch but I love it and would be heartbroken if I lost it.
Best of luck with the move.
I hear you, Russ. Keep on riding bikes making content your way! That’s why I watch.
I love the way you think about bikes. The bike you need is the one that feels like home
Amen to that
I hear you loud and clear. If I had to keep only one of the too many bikes in my garage it would be my 26 inch wheel Long Haul Trucker. It has done it all. Pavement touring with treadless tires, GDMBR on knobbies and so much commuting with tires to match the season.
For me it is a 26" Velotraum VK10, now called R4. Has also done on- and off pavement tours, parts of the GDMBR on MTB tyres and most miles are racked up on commuting trips. However, the difference is hydraulic disc brakes and a Rohloff hub, both are running with little maintenance and work quite well. The load carrying capacity of 180kg comes in handy as well when going shopping or bike touring and also allows (fully loaded or light-weight) bombing down a hill at high speed with confidence due to a sturdy frame and good brakes.
And a alloy frame, since they didn't build a steel frame in my size with a rigid steel fork. In my opinion is steel fork and alloy frame the better option to all alloy or even worse alloy fork and steel frame. The frame has to be way more rigid than the fork.
My 12 year old A. Homer Hilsen is my keeper. With Paul Racer brakes, a variety of friction shifters, and a multitude of handlebar options, it is the bike that always feels right. Every time I get on it and start pedaling, it is immediately like home.
Okay
I have a Brompton si speed, à Scott in alu that I have modified putting a 11/36 with a triple front. I also have a trek 7/7 on which I have an 11/46 with a 30/46 at the front.
The thing about a path less pedalled is that he encourages us to think outside the box
1990 wicked fat chance. Finally completed my resto-mod and I’ve never ridden a bike as amazing as it. Drove 10 hours round trip to get it out of Michigan. Took me over 2 years to get the parts I wanted to put on. What they say about fat chance and Chris chance, it’s all true. That legend was so far ahead of his time
I have a Team Fat Chance myself - the geometry is a little too race specific for me these days. I am looking to buy a Rim as a potential replacement even though they are now made in Taiwan, it's not a deal breaker for me.
Typo: Rivendell not rim!
I had zero doubt you were going to say Rivendell. It's so obvious that you and Grant see eye to eye on a lot of things, particularly when it comes to the whole party pace, un-racer and normal clothes for riding bikes stuff. When I rode my one and only double century 11 years ago using flat pedals from Rivendell, I had so many people aghast that I wasn't using clipless and wasn't wearing Spandex. I still have yet to own one. If I ever do, it would be a Homer for sure.
My never sell bikes are my Raw Lacquer Brompton H6L as it is by far my most comfortable bike, my Specialized HardRock Xtracycle conversion and my Salsa Casseroll rando bike. Love all of them.
Koga Miyata Randonneur Extra (1986). Partly because I bought it really inexpensively from a fanatical German bike collector who had babied it but had too many bikes, partly because I put a Rohloff in there and it's so trouble free, partly because it is just so stable and reassuring on the tarmac and light gravel both loaded and unloaded.
It isn't the fanciest or prettiest bike, but it does everything I ask it to do and never disappoints.
For me it’s my Corvus Skookum fat bike. Perfect extension of my style.
I know it is a big box brand...but my Salsa Fargo was purchased with the intent of a forever bike. It can just do so much including make me smile.
Same here!
Yes! Appreciate your perspective. I think you did a great job putting into words what I find so hard to explain. How it feels to enjoy a really “good” comfortable, reliable, easy to work on, pretty, maybe even beautiful, utilitarian bike.
My 2 bikes I would never sell are my Surly LHT and my vintage Schwinn Continental. For mostly reasons that you mentioned which makes maintenance on them easy and they fit me perfectly. Thank you for the great content you provide!
Old Schwinns can go forever.
I also have an older LHT. Mine actually has 26" wheels. I recently, after watching this channel for quite a while, replaced the original triple with a compact double, 40/26. I'm amazed how well the bike performs on gravel roads. Why "upgrade"?
Agreed. I enjoy the simplicity of the bike, from the friction shifters to the rim brakes.@@daniellarson3068
Same here. Mine is a 2008 26" model. I still have the triple on mine, but a double would probably work for me as well. I did change the bars to trekking bars with grip shift. Makes longer rides very comfortable. I also have a dynamo front hub.@@donhuber9131
Schwinn ten speeds gold
I feel the same about my Sam. Finally got one this year and it’s everything I’ve been hoping it would be for the last 10 years.
I feel that my Stooge Mk5 is the bike I probably won't ever sell. I have it set up with a Tumbleweed Persuader bar, 27.5" wheels with plus size tires on it (3" on front, and 2.8" in the rear). I can't pinpoint what I love about it, but every time I'm done riding it, I can't believe how good it rides.
Same here, just MK3 with stooge scrambler bar atm same tires ;)
My keeper is the Waterford 1900 Adventure Bike. Had it for 23yrs and it runs running perfectly. It is utterly mechanical and easy to maintain. I use it for touring, commutting, food shopping, utility bike, etc. Thank you for your RUclips channel.
1985 Rodriguez sport touring. Lugged and gorgeous. Even has room for 40mm tires!
Gonna miss you both on this side but will continue watching from where ever you land. Eve of 2023 Ochoco Overlander. Temps in the 90s….
Totally agree with this post -- that's why I just bought an All-City Gorilla Monsoon (too bad All-City just closed it's doors). After riding bikes for 55+ years I missed riding steel, although I now enjoy 1X, index shifting, and mechanical disk brakes, and I'm all in with 650b. Looking forward to your new adventure in Spain-- :)
My 1994 Caloi MTB that I bought new. It has the original Manitou Answer shocks. I have played around with its purpose and function over the years. And I love it and it's cantilever brakes! Cheers to you, your Bride and your new adventure!
Grant and company re-asserted the value of many bike things I continue to treasure. If not for Grant, Heine and later Pacenti, 650b might not be available at all in the USA. It's perfectly understandable your attraction to the Hillborne, both in what it symbolizes and in what it does. That said, for the way I ride, Rivendell frames stopped being useful for me starting back in 2014. The steel tubing Rivendell uses is very stout, touring stout. Riding them just wore me out, and I didn't realize how much that was true until I started riding lighter steel tube sets. I was able to get Jeff Lyon to build me a similar classic frame set with lightweight steel tubing, I never regretted the decision. For me, it works. I front load the bike's rando bag, though usually with no more than 8-15 pounds, and the bike is designed to carry front panniers, though I've never mounted any. If not being forced to, I will likely never sell this bike, despite owning others, including more "modern" bikes. The Lyon just does a lot of things really well, and is maybe the most practical of my bikes. Best of luck PLP with your move to Spain, look forward to see what you do once you have settled in your new home.
Probably my 150 years Brooks anniversary Pelago Stavanger. It started my passion for cycling and bike-touring and it just fits me perfectly.
This bike seems to have passed me by on your channel I really like the attention to detail on it. The way the lugs are painted and the decals I think that frame is beautiful.
My 1984 Miyata 710 was my racing/triathlon bike, but really just had the classic '80s Japanese road bike build. I recently pulled it out of retirement, cold-set the rear dropouts to 130mm and built up a 1x11 flat-bar townie with Ultegra 600EX brakes and a Nitto Campee rear rack. The frame was wide enough for 700x28c Panaracer GravelKings, so some mild off-pavement rides are possible.
I ride this bike about 20 miles a day commuting. It is absolutely silent and the SL700 shifter with R7000 DR work flawlessly.
Me too. You are right. It’s a tool, beautifully made and can do it all. Rode my 10 Y/O Hillborne Boston to Pacific Ocean 2 years ago, doing so again next year.
Hi Russ. My 1996 Rivendell allrounder for sure. Canti’s, 26 inch wheels and a triple Ritchey logic crank. I bought this when riv first started selling Waterford built frames. I love it so much it hangs on the wall in my house between rides. Will be giving it repaint next year. My vicious cycles 2002 motivator 29er. Non suspension corrected rigid fork. Perfect for the trails I ride. Best wishes on this new venture.
I like that Riv bike a lot. Good choice. Right now, bike I wouldn’t sell is our two CO-Motion tandems. We ride with our two boys. Such a fun family sport. Both rolling on ReneHerse 650bX48 slicks.
I've ridden my hillborne most days since I got it in 2019 and I never grow tired of it. Great choice Russ!
I'm in the same boat, Russ. I've got a circa 2009 Sam Hillborne and love it....wouldn't trade it for anything. Great video, as always. Thanks for making good content.
Same as you. The bike I'd never sell is my Sam Hillborne. I have the 2TT side pull brake version. I currently have it set up with the supremely capable Paul Racer center pulls. Drop bar, bar cons, and 44mm RH tires set up tubeless. The bike feels like an old friend every time I hop on it. It's capable of taking me on any road that I am willing to ride and just never lets me down. Thanks for this video which helped to serve as a reminder for why I love my Riv as well.
Same here. The Hillborne is the least trendy/gadgety among almost every competing bike in its class. It’ll do anything and will last a lifetime if cared for properly. Anticipating coming challenges (I’m over 60) I recently added a Platypus, which is essentially the same bike but with a step-through frame. I’ll keep both forever.
Like mentioned above a few times, going with the Surly Cross Check. It’s the middle school of bikes: a gateway to experiences, experimenting, and exploration! It’s never really disappointed me.
Russ & Laura,
I wish you the very best on your new adventure and move to Spain. I think that you only live once and to make this change in life is an exciting one. Take care and we will all be looking forward to seeing and hearing how this goes. I am sure that you will thrive and make many new friends wherever this may take you...keep us informed and again, best of luck to you guys. Thank you for all of your honest advice and commentary. It is always like stopping by for a chat when I click on one of your posts. Take care....John
For me, my Brompton and Surly Cross Check in single speed guise with woodchipper bars.
Both are bikes that I genuinely enjoy riding and cannot even pretend to ride fast.
Welcome to Europe!
My surly ogre from 2016, it has carry me around many countries, it has patiently let me work on it as I learned how to fix bikes, it has been the experimental animal of all my weird ideas of how should I built it. It is incredibly versatile, and it seems still perfectly fine to keep going for more than twice the distance is has already ridden.
A good old adventure companion, it will be kept with respect even if it ever brake down before I do, which is not sure!
"Its not flashy" .. seriously its bloody beautiful
Steelman cyclocross single speed. 853 tubes with Paul dropouts, Paul Hubs. It’s 25 years old. It’s the go to. Just put a fresh set of wheels on it. Stem is 110 now not 120 that I rode at 26 years old. I don’t attack steep hills any longer, but it’s geared so I can get everywhere if I pick the proper grade climbs. I enjoy that it’s the exact geometry of so many popular gravel rigs today, it clears 45c’s, I built it and used it like a gravel bike since the beginning.
Still running original RF Turbine cranks and RF square taper bb, it gets fresh grease every other year. Like new still it’s insane. Original King HS, everything else has been changed a little. I have a few other rigs I can’t part with either, but I have spent so much time with this machine it’s the one.
Good for you Russ, long live RIV! Good luck with the move 👍🏽 🇪🇸
Thanks for making this video Russ. I guessed the Rivendell before you even said it. 😊Makes perfect sense to me. I think my keeper would be my Thunderhawk. I was lucky enough to get the version without internal cable routing. It checks all the boxes for me. It just feels right and makes me smile every time I jump on it. I’ve learned so much from watching your channel. Thanks so much for all you do. It’s made me much more knowledgeable and made bicycling that much more enjoyable in the process. Thank you!
Almost all of these bike reviews seem to think internal cable routing is a significant advantage. I do not think external cables cause a lot of drag nor are they prone to sang on items. Unlike internally routed cables, they are easily changed. I think you were lucky.
Russ I haven’t even watched this video yet but I’m currently searching for the one, do it all, keep forever bike.
I’m excited to hear your comments here.
I totally get everything you just said. You’ve just sealed my decision to make my next bike very similar. Congratulations on finding your Zen
My Rivendell Appaloosa for sure! It’s the do anything bike, from commuting to easy trail to bike camping. I’m hoping to take it on some longer tours soon, too.
Yes, Please! My Homer Hilsen is the one bike I'll never sell. I bash around trails on it, using Rene Herse Switchbacks. It's a delight to ride. So nimble and precise in the front and long/stable in the rear. I got from Riv with Ablastache bars. I know, full on poseur! Honestly, I love those bars. My Trek Domane is gathering dust on about to go on the market. Thanks, Russ! Very best to you and Laura on the new chapter!
2017 Blue Disc Trucker, almost same geometry of the Riv Atlantis at the time . Albastache handlebars, flat pedals, B17, steady and comfortable. Also my Motobecane Grand Touring that I rode across Europe in 1978. It is having a dignified retirement...
Works for me. I luv your bike too. It ticks all the boxes and looks beautifully classic. Good for you.
I read the title and knew instantly the Sam was going to be the answer here. I bought my first Sam in 2010 and have been a Riv Rider exclusively since then; it's the one brand I can count on to give me exactly what I want and nothing I don't need. "I know what I like" -- the best reason of all. Best of luck on your move!
Nice bike! The bike I’ll never sell is my blue and yellow LeMond Zurich. I’m told frequently that I should upgrade my bike but I love the way that it fits, rides, and handles. And it’s 100% mechanical, which I prefer.
Yap, don't upgrade what is already perfect❤
I have a 2006 Lemond Zurich too! Love it.
@@jfspurlin1 Just bought a 2002 Greg Lemond Buenos Aires steel bike. Like it as much as my Specialized carbon Tarmac. I don't need to keep up with the Joneses. A great bike is a great bike.
The bike I will never sell is the Ritchey Outback Breakaway. Ride it daily and also climbed the Alto de Letras in Columbia! So it does everything!
I just finished building up my Outback Breakaway about a month ago. I agree - it’s a real quiver killer!
I’ve been enjoying your channel. I own a couple of unique bikes, one of which I just got returned to me tonight by a friend who I sold it to 20 plus years ago. It’s a Braxton mtn bike which Sam Braxton built for me in 1986. I also have a Braxton racing bike (1983), a 1998 Salsa mtn bike. All of these bikes have great meaning to me for different reasons. My wife also has a Braxton mtn. bike that was built for her for a wedding present.
Spain? That’s amazing! Congrats Russ & Laura, see you back in Europe soon!
Another Rivendell bike owner here. It has been one year ago today since I bought my first Rivendell bike. It is a Clem Smith Jr. "L" bike. Since then, I have grown to love it in every way as a senior cyclist, the step-through frame, an upright riding position and the low gears to the elongated chain stays. It is a keeper. I would not want to sell it whatsoever. However, one day, I would like to trade it for a 59cm RBW blue frameset from my 59cm Lime Olive Green frameset.
I totally identify with what you are saying about your Hillbourne. I am glad to hear that you are keeping it.
Ride on and enjoy your move to Spain.
Glad you found such a bike for yourself, Russ - that’s awesome. I definitely have 1 bike that is my forever bike: a 2016 Bianchi Specialissima with Campagnolo Super Record 11-speed trans and Fulcrum carbon wheels with ceramic bearings. Gifted to me by my sis after I completed my first round of cancer treatments. Strangely enough, however, my go-to bike for almost all my rides is a humble 2015 Specialized Allez Sport with Sora and newly added Shimano 105 wheel set due to the stock freewheel failing and not being serviceable.
S.H. is a lovely bike. No need to explain, although you did most eloquently. As for me it's my 2011 Bemiss Cockroach. Custom build from a friend in eastern NY. Does it all and I ride it much more than my other 6 bikes.
Beautiful choice Russ! My Surly LHT is the bike that puts a smile on my face everyday... even just by looking at it on my living room wall or riding it down Portugal's most beautiful trails!
Good luck on the adventure. My Stooge Rambler is a keeper. First self build and just fits my need for a bike.
Wonderful post. Best wishes for Spain. It will be great to learn about Euro biking/touring. Rescued a 1968 Bruce Gordon frame a few years ago. Just completed the project with vintage Campy and other parts. Old School steel makes for a mellow ride.
Black Gitane track bike 1984. Have never fixed one thing except new wheels when I got it and tires (Just got airless tannus). I have comfy grandma bars and an easy gear. Just recently a wald pizza rack. It’s the best, after 25 years. Most fun. Effortless. Reliable. I have recently got a surly krampus, which is nice too, but one fear fixed still has me.
This vid is the essence of why we like your channel. No pretense. Please, carry on.
My go to bike is my rigid frame Ibis # 91 cro moly 1986. Drop bars with Cunningham speed masters, Phil Wood hubs. Really has served me well. Having Scot and Wes build it up was a fun time too.
Great choice, keep enjoying the bike and yourself!
I bought and love my Bearclaw thunderhawk. I did buy it because of your review and have had no regrets. I appreciate your reviews and opinions/ takes on cycling. Hope the move to Rota goes well!
I prob would have kept it if I had gotten the V1 with the external routing. The internal routing was no bueno for the amount of times I have to change parts for the channel.
My forever bike and agree 💯 v1 was better! Jason originally advertised it as you’d understand why external routing is better if you work on your own bike
I can see why you would keep that bike. It's a classic! The craftsmanship is amazing! My keeper is an 89 Cannondale SM 500. I bought it new and have lugged it around with me ever since. Not the greatest bike and since it's pre-standards, it's frustratingly difficult to upgrade. But It served as a commuter for several years where I put over 10K miles on it, and now is the platform for an e-bike kit. Kids will inherit it after I'm gone.
I love your videos.
My forever bike is my Moots Vamoots CR, 2012, rim/mechanical, Campy.
Bought new, won’t sell, don’t need or want anything else.
Yeah, your favorite bike is my dream bike too. I'm super into it! I'm really glad I've stumbled onto your channel.
Rivendell Appaloosa
For all the same reasons you mention here.
It’s an over-capable, mechanically simple, gorgeous, Swiss army bike & that’s home for me.
Yep, Grant guided me on the path I’ve been on since around 2015. My Appaloosa would be one of the very last to go. Nice Sam!
I still have my very first adult bike--a 1980's Kuwahara Sierra Grande. I don't ride it often anymore, but when I do it is like an old friend. Realistically I am only keeping it for sentimental reasons. Not only was it my first "adult" bike, but it was the first thing I bought with my first "adult" paycheck.
I don't have any bikes with thru axles, one bike with mechanical disc brakes, and all of my bikes have threaded BB's and clearance for at least 35's. They're not the fastest or most modern but they're mine and they work. That's all that matters to me. Happy travels Russ and Laura!!!
Good choice. Love my Riv Ramboulliet. Comfortable and versatile.
I hope you love your new home. I have been riding Rivendells since 1997 when I got my first Road. Another slightly larger one followed then an AR and then a Custom. I am a lover of the shorter chainstay Rivendells and have a Hillborne and a Saluki currently . I have had about 10 Rivendells, prefer 650b models and only sold my custom and a few others due to a car accident and back injury where I thought my riding days had ended. 10 years off the bike, now in my ‘70’s I have been riding again for 4 seasons. Slower and shorter distances but that is fine. I still love to ride. The Hillborne is a special bike, very happy with it.
I knew it would be the Riv. Anyone who has followed you for the long haul knows that’s where your mantra comes from. Beautiful bike. Mine is my Raleigh Clubman from 1983, sympathetically restored with more modern parts. In essence, it’s very similar to an early Rivendell. A roadish bike that you can do anything that you’d reasonably expect to do on a bike. Are you finding the downsizing for Spain cathartic or stressful?
You made the right choice in keeping the Riv! I’d love to have one, and have set up my bikes largely in the style they put forth with their bikes.
My one keeper bike is probably my Giant Via 2 with its split top tube. I’ve modified everything about the bike to my liking, such as it having 9 speed friction thumbies on alt bars. It’ll handle 700x42 tires with room to spare, it’s comfortable on all surfaces, and it gets complements every time I ride it.
Yup. I’ve sold or traded a lot of bikes and frames, but I still have the Atlantis I bought in 1999.
Good luck with the move and look forward to sharing a bit of your new life. For me my Clem Smith Jr L for sure is the keeper. The best bike I’ve ever owned by a long long shot and it’ll never go.
My companion - multiple iterations - multiple Trips, Commutes, Dayrides: Salsa Fargo ❤️
2 of 2 in the staple: Rivbike Atlantis 2022 - still too young & too few rides to feel 100% dialed in atm.
A Rivendell is my dream bike, specifically the Hillborn! When I got back into cycling, during the shortage, I picked up a used Miyata 621-ST touring bike. I've built it up exactly as I like it. No matter what I buy in the future, even a Riv, the Miyata will always be with me.
Canti All City space horse with diagonal dropouts. I've always disliked the color I ended up with, maybe I'll paint it someday, but the lively yet loadable ultra-versatility of this bike has never and likely will never let me down. I have two mtb's, and am also working on a zippier vintage Italian steel road bike, but if I could keep only one, it would be the space horse.
My 10+ year old bianchi nirone 7. Shortened the stem, raised the handle bar, fitted a comfortable saddle. It just fits really well. Planning to build a more comfortable setup like yours as I just hit 40, but not selling the N7, bought it when I was in Bangladesh, was with me for 3 years in Myanmar and now riding it in London. Tons of good memories with this one :)
Welcome to Europe! I look forward to see more niche products presented that are available here.
Sweet looking bike bro, I get it. Every time I get on my Surly Midnight Special something amazing happens. I love that bike.
Your original videos and review of your Sam Hillborne are what finally tipped me over the edge into purchasing one myself (dark gold) and 3 years later I have zero regrets. I’d echo that it “feels like home.” It’s the bike I ride the most, on all kinds of surfaces. As for the bike I’m least likely to ever sell, that’s easy. My 93 Bontrager Race hardtail. It puts a goofy grin on my face every time I ride it. So nimble, so fun, and climbs like a freakin’ goat.
A bike that lets you feel most like yourself, without pretending, is a lovely concept. I wish more of the cycling world centered around that!
I'm also chasing after that Peak Mechanical bike these days- something I can have long into the future that will make the most of the cable-actuated, rim brake era components. As someone who tinkers as much as they ride, electronics and hydro brakes just aren't the same fun, nor do they have the same tactile satisfaction when riding.
My 1999 Dawes 1-Down, a drop-bar 26" wheel touring bike that looks very similar to your Rivendell. V brakes, downtube friction shifters, 631 Reynolds frame, huge tyre clearance - it just does everything competently and is still good by todays standards. Gets admiring comments when riding with modern gravel bikes too, people thinking it's new.
Good luck with your move! Keep making these videos!
San demis high school football rules!
I'd love a "Reasonable Gearing" sticker
I'll never sell the neglected '85 Trek 870 I picked up off CL a couple years ago. Thanks to your influence it has Albatross bars tand Rene Herse tires. The only upgrade has been to a 7 speed cassette since it needed new wheels anyways but, again to your influence, I kept the old Shimano friction shifters and have been slowly adapting to them. It's a simple, comfy bike that I just find myself picking for more of my rides. That bike makes me feel like a little kid again, riding just for the sake of riding.
I like that "home" feeling of riding bikes I've owned since new in the 80s. They've gone through groupset changes, but they are still home, and I will die with them most likely.