51 CM Rivendell Bleriot 650B Road Touring Frame OS Tubes NO Longer Made | eBay
I like it, but that’s some dollars for that frame. The Soma 650b thingy is gonna be around US$550, with warranty etc…
That said, it’s my size: if anyone wants to buy it for me that’d be great.
I know the seller and he’s 100% coolio
I don’t think the Rivendell was ever that cheap. Made in house using some of the best US builders, vs Peterson design, production made by Soma crew. Chalk & cheese imo … like comparing your custom to a Surly.
I think the Soma is quite a bit more than $550. We looked at getting one in for a customer and it would have cost us more than $550.
Just quoting the $550 as a ballpark, it’s what I read on their blarg.
And yes, the Rivendell is indeed a nice frame. I forget that their earlier stuff is much nicer than their current offerings. TBH, their new stuff just leaves me cold, and I let that colour my perceptions of their other stuff.
That wheel set he mentions in the listing sounds pretty damn amazing.
I thought that besides the real early days, there were always some frames built by a pool US builders (not in-house, at least not physically in walnut creek?), some built by Testach/Toyo, and maybe now some made in taiwan or somepin? My understanding was that all frames were designed by GP (i guess til about 2009 when I lost interest a bit), the “normal” prod frames, the “nicer” US prod frames and the full custom jobs, which I think is a good thing. It’d be interesting to see how many people have ridden bikes designed by GP. I wouldn’t be suprised if he’s had more feedback on his frames by a wider variety of cyclists than any custom builder.
edit: just looked at the listing, far out, that is good buyin!
A surly LHT is just a copy of a Rivendell, but welded in Taiwan.
And the majority of Riv’s are made in Taiwan now (good quality, affordable), some Japan, some USA.
Well that’s confusing.
I never heard back about if anyone was buying this for me.
lulz, riv-goatse:
yeah, I lost interest a few years ago too. Frames from this era I’m guessing would have been built these would have been built by either Curt Goodrich or Joe Starck. By in house i meant in the US (as opposed to Toyo). Really top quality builders, time taken and definitely not a production bike but made to order. I’m sure if there’s a serial # Rivendell will have the details on file as to who built it and when.
I thought about it for Mrs. Spirito but she doesn’t need o/s tubing and the sizing is not quite right for her. It’s a killer of a deal though !!
My mistake then. I didn’t realize this was a production built bike … lugs and crown looks fancy so I thought it US made and a custom order.
No, I wasn’t saying that this particular one was Taiwan/Japan built! I was referring to those built now.
However:
The Sam Hillborne is the Taiwanese made replacement for the Bleriot.
The Bleriot was a Rivbike x QBP collabo, made in Taiwan in larger numbers, but still lugged, so cheaper than the Saluki, it was an off the peg 650B frame available from any shop with a Q account.
The Saluki was Toyo built in Japan.
Plenty of history and clippings here: Cyclofiend: RBW: Rivendell Bleriot
Oh, is this the one for sale?:
CC Bicycle Gallery: Nick Payne’s Rivendell Bleriot 650B
Nope, that one is much bigger.
Mate, if I could … do you really want think what it would cost you.
Lolz !!! x 11vnty
Its the stumpjumper all over again. Copy, cheapen, become “the standard”.
I know I prob told this story already, but a mate of mine was sponsored by Testach and asked me if I wanted them to build me a frame while I was there… I really wish I had. Their website looks pretty much unchanged in 10 years, but now has CX frames. Same prices that I remember, too.
Oh, and Nobilette used to do some of their frames, too? I think I read at least once that he was building frames, but maybe just protos. The bombadill almost got me back interested in them, but still… no.
Full customs and protovelos.