I’ve gotten questions about my no-longer Super Secret Bike, so I’ll answer them here, and attach photos (which you may have already seen on Analog’s Instagram or the Mermaid thread). The photos are courtesy of Analog. I don’t yet have the bike. It was ordered in May, and only now have the parts arrived to make it a whole bike.
I made the decision to make my pair of Rivendells a trio this summer. I made a new goal to run more errands by bike. This was a challenge, because as I’ve said before, the hills/mountains in Vegas are punishing. My raspberry Platypus is set up with only a saddlebag support; I wanted to keep that bike unburdened. The Clem is heavy, and putting a load and then pedaling up the mountain was miserable. So, a 3rd bike, a mixte, with racks and bags was on my wish list. A bike I could load up and lock up, and not worry about. The Rosco Platy was rumored to be arriving in July, and I was hoping for one of those. But news came that they would have beefy tubing and were delayed indefinitely, so I gave up that idea. It occurred to me I could try for another Platypus. But the presale was long over and the new Platys were all living with their new owners. BUT, I found one dealer who had a 55 mermaid frame sitting in the box and no one had purchased it. I bought it had the frame sent to Analog and they did a complete build for me in their trademark colorful style. We went with an earthy look; greens and golds on that mermaid paint. We mixed up the brake colors (one side bronze, one side green) and had a lot of fun with colorful spoke nipples and valve stems. The lime pedals slay me. SON makes colorful lights, so we added those as well. And best of all, I got to try Garbaruk - prettier cogs and pulleys might exist but I’m doubtful. This is my first 1x build. The front and rear Nitto racks were saved from previous bikes and will be installed with the lights mounted on them. I will add olive Backabikes on the rear and a Goldilocks Fanny to the bars. Since the bike was ordered, major life changes have occurred. We moved to southwest Michigan last week, and the Clem would be no trouble on the elevation here. This 2nd Platy is now probably superfluous. But, I’m still overjoyed to have it, and like the other 2 bikes, it will get plenty of miles. The winter has been mild so far and in between the chores of setting up the new house and unpacking our things, I’ve been out on some brief rides. People here keep telling me I need a “beater bike” for the winter, but I just like riding my Rivendells. Should I tell them this is my beater bike? A common question I get that I’ll address here: Why don’t you sell the Clem? Or let it be the utilitarian bike? The Clem will never be for sale. It’s hopelessly sentimental to me. I know it’s hard to believe I’d care more about the Clem than the fancy mermaid Platypus, but I do. That Clem is a hug. Everyone should have one. Three Rivendells is my limit. No more bikes, ever. I’m set! Pics in the next post… Leah -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/d81091c6-2a4b-4bcc-9c38-7f0d55e49d1an%40googlegroups.com.
