The bike
I love this bike of course as the final iteration of "Rive-style" bike I'd dreamt about since 2008-ish when I was first hacking my 70s Peugeot to look like what I saw in the Riv Readers. But this bike will hold an extra-special place in my heart in its own right -- I picked it up from Walnut Creek the day my wife went into labor for our first child. I was half-way through assembly in the garage after work on a Friday when she called to me from the kitchen with what turned out to be the start of her contractions.
At the time I've writing (early 2025), I've since taken it on a 60+ mile "green fondo" in Sonoma County, a 3 day camping trip on Catalina Island, regularly fetching dog food and groceries, and all sorts of other rides in the hills east of Fremont.
Build Details
(as of 2025-03-16)
Frame
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Frame | RBW S!lver CroMo 2023 Frameset, 60cm, Lime Olive |
Wheels & Braking
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Rims | Velocity Voyager 700c / 36h |
| Front Hub | Kasai Dynacoil D6 |
| Rear Hub | Velo Orange Rear Disc |
| Wheel assembly | Me + final truing by Gilbert in LA |
| Brakes | Shimano (Alivio? who knows they're ancient) V-brake |
| Brake Levers | Paul 2.5 Love Levers |
| Fenders | SKS Bluemel B65 |
| Tires | F: Continental Race King 2.2 in, R: Schwalbe G-One All-Round 2.25 in |
Drivetrain
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Rear Cassette | S-ride 13-42t 7sp |
| Crankset | Old Sugino 3x somethings 110 bcd, 2x 24/38 (Sugino/RBW S!lver) + Blue Lug chainguard |
| RD | Shimano Alfine (+ Wolftooth Roadlink extender) |
| FD | Shimano Deore |
| Shifters | Silver2 Shifters + RBW thumbies |
Cockpit & Touchpoints
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Handlebar | Ramble Bar - Golden Pliers x SimWorks, 710 mm c-c, 31.8 mm |
| Grips | Oury V2 graphite + some Newbaums tape |
| Stem | Nitto Fillet FacePlater - 31.8 mm - 110 mm |
| Seatpost | 26.8 mm Some Kalloy Uno thing? Riv provides with frame |
| Saddle | Brooks B17-Carved, Honey |
| Pedals | Wolftooth Waveform, Espresso |
Accessories
| Component | Description |
|---|---|
| Lighting | Front: Busch & Müller Lumotec IQ-XS; Rear: Busch & Müller Toplight |
| Pump | Mike FramePlumper XL Frame Pump |
| Rear Rack | Nitto x Rivendell Big Back Rack |
| Kickstand | Velo Orange Copenhagen Dual Leg Kickstand |
| Bottlecages | 2x Velo Orange Mojave Water Bottle Cages (for Nalgenes) |
| Little bling | Blue Lug brass crank caps |
| Little bling | RBW brass housing ferrules |
| Little bling | Brake and shifter cable ends - Forager Cycles Cable Cherries, Brass |