Dangerously organic!

How to Dress Up Your Bike

Rivendell makes bikes. This one's called a "Bleriot"

Q: "I've got this old, steel Fuji frame with nice lugs on it. Cottered cranks, the whole mid-1970s thing. How would I go about giving a bike like this the whole Rivendell look? Is it as simple as a leather saddle, moustache handlebars and cork tape? What else do I need to achieve that Rivendell aesthetic, except for some 'tude?"

A: "You'll need to give it a hideous, retro industrial color paint job, with some white highlights between the lugs on the headtube, and get a compression-fit frame pump in matching ugly color. And, a Brooks saddle bag on the bag loops behind the saddle, no seat wedge allowed."

A: "The Rivendell way would be to use a Nitto (Technomic) stem to elevate the bars to approximately the same height as the saddle for a more upright (and dignified) riding position. One would not choose a bike sized too small, as is often done, either. A lot of information and advice on their philosophy is available in the Rivendell catalogues (available on-line) and in the Rivendell Readers; highly recommended. The approach to cycling is that of comfort, quality, efficiency, practicality and sensibility. A refreshing relief from hyper-marketed, race-world driven, often ridiculous fads and trends. This would be the realm of BOBishness. Check the Rivendell website and also look at ecovelo. For an example of a Bobish recumbent, go to The Recumbent Blog.

"BTW, there is no hideousness associated with Rivendell whatsoever (and the paint line defining the lugwork is usually cream, not a garish white) They have produced some of the most coveted and aesthetically refined upright bikes available. In my own righteous view, there is true elegance, positive energy and purity of heart to these bikes."

"Oh, and I forgot to mention using hemp twine and shellac to finish the leather bar wrap (not cork!).
Cork or cloth tape, NOT leather. Hemp twine, yes (one of the most appropriate and useful natural industrial materials ever. Amber shellac, low toxicity, low environmental impact and beautiful."

From the Riv site: "Here's a video showing Mark installing, twining and clear shellacking the groovy grips." Beautiful music, "from the 5th Analog Africa compilation called Legends of Benin. The artist is El Rego Et Ses Commandose."

(photo from RivBike)

Here's how to wrap twine around cork tape. Looks mighty nice. Detailed instructions here, again courtesy of the RivBike site.

(photo from LovelyBicycle)

Another super informative bike site, LovelyBicycle has detailed twining instructions here. You'll learn how to twine and shellac your bars, kickstand, and even your water bottle. You'll love the photos. Browse the rest of the site if you like. I read it every day. Nice!