Little did I know when I returned to serious cycling in the mid-eighties, in a renewed craze for lugged steel bikes, that a decade later the era of the diamond frame steel bicycle might be drawing to a close. Jan Heine, in a wonderful article called "1995 Rivendell: Turning the Tide," credits Grant Petersen with saving, at least for the initiated, the lugged steel bicycle I grew up with.
Heine writes: "When Bridgestone USA closed in 1994, many mourned the loss of what they saw as the last sensible design in the quickly changing world of bicycles. They rejoiced when later that year, Bridgestone's marketing manager Grant Petersen started Rivendell Bicycle Works. The new company's first project was three hand-built frames, the Road, Mountain and All-Rounder."
My 1997 Rivendell Road Standard pictured here is one of the early hand-built frames with lugs based on a Richard Sachs design, painted by Joe Bell, and one of the most beautiful head badges in existence--the Rivendell Bicycle Works with cloisonne inlays.
It is hard to believe that over a quarter century has passed since Grant Petersen helped pave the way for the return of the hand made bicycle, and the many shows honoring the tradition that appear each year in America. Jan Heine says "These first Rivendells were dream bikes of their era. The tubing was the best of the best, Reynolds' mythical 753, the first 'supersteel,' custom-drawn to Rivendell's specifications...The early Rivendells were as sensible as they were beautiful. They were designed for performance...Everything that followed...can trace its roots to the moment when Grant Petersen stood up and said: 'I love steel and lugs. Why not?'"
Why not, indeed.
Heine writes: "When Bridgestone USA closed in 1994, many mourned the loss of what they saw as the last sensible design in the quickly changing world of bicycles. They rejoiced when later that year, Bridgestone's marketing manager Grant Petersen started Rivendell Bicycle Works. The new company's first project was three hand-built frames, the Road, Mountain and All-Rounder."
My 1997 Rivendell Road Standard pictured here is one of the early hand-built frames with lugs based on a Richard Sachs design, painted by Joe Bell, and one of the most beautiful head badges in existence--the Rivendell Bicycle Works with cloisonne inlays.
It is hard to believe that over a quarter century has passed since Grant Petersen helped pave the way for the return of the hand made bicycle, and the many shows honoring the tradition that appear each year in America. Jan Heine says "These first Rivendells were dream bikes of their era. The tubing was the best of the best, Reynolds' mythical 753, the first 'supersteel,' custom-drawn to Rivendell's specifications...The early Rivendells were as sensible as they were beautiful. They were designed for performance...Everything that followed...can trace its roots to the moment when Grant Petersen stood up and said: 'I love steel and lugs. Why not?'"
Why not, indeed.
1997 Rivendell Road Standard ©Daniel Dahlquist