There is a great email today from Riv about the tech-immune bike. That in a nutshell is why I’ve been a fan of Riv/Bridgestone’s/Grant’s approach for 27 years now. We may wring our hands over the details like whether the TT slopes 6 degrees or which frame joints have lugs or the number of top tubes. Such details may push us into Golden Age or 2TT subgroups. But however that goes, to me the value that spans all the epochs is the design that is centered around something that will work well and be easy to fix by not being locked into any one specialized or dedicated system. I remember a great explanation in the 1991 Bridgestone catalog about beating dedicated parts systems. They showed a photo of a bike with DiaCompe, Shimano, and Sugino and said “a combo you’ll only find on Bridgestones”. They explained how the thumbshifter is less vulnerable than Rapid Fire and gives more freedom to mix parts and can be made to work with any brand’s derailleur or freewheel as the bike ages.
The first phrase I read in The Bridgestone catalog that hooked me in 1991 was “Don’t chase technology.” That principle has guided Riv all along, and it’s why I’m here. -Jim W. Sent from my iPhone > On Sep 27, 2018, at 9:29 AM, Philip Williamson <philip.william...@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Precursor Era! > > I have a 1999 Bontrager set up as you describe. 9/8 steerer, but still pretty > short headtube. It's my fastest bike, faster than the LeMond with 30mm > GP2000s, but can still get into the dirt. The only thing I'd change would be > to add a dropper post. I guess that would be a "cousin species" coexisting in > the Golden Age? > > Philip > Santa Rosa, CA > > >> On Thursday, September 27, 2018 at 8:32:06 AM UTC-7, Daniel M wrote: >> Prequel / Proto-proto / Embryo... There is nothing in Rivendell's current >> lineup that excites me nearly as much as my 1993 Bridgestone MB-1 that I >> converted to high flared drop bars (basically recreating the 1987 cockpit) >> and shoed with extralight Compass tires. If I were to try to improve on this >> design, I'd give it an up-sloping (and slightly shorter) top tube and a >> longer head tube so it wouldn't need such a tall stem to get the bars so >> high (NORBA geometry is long and low). I'd gladly accept TIG welds instead >> of lugs, and I'd frankly prefer 1+1/8" threadless, but these are minor >> nitpicks. The bike is athletic, lightweight, flexy in the right way, and >> wonderfully quick on rough surfaces. >> If Riv were to re-design this bike today (they kinda just did), it would >> have heavier tubing, super-long chainstays, and 650b wheels, none of which >> would be improvements for me. There is something about the creative tension >> of the Bridgestone bikes (racing-driven market forces vs. Grant-driven >> practicality) that I love. It's why the Police and the Smiths are far better >> bands than any of the solo projects that followed. >> >> Daniel M >> Berkeley, CA >> >> >> > > -- > 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. -- 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 rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
