The Saluki was introduced in late 2003 or early 2004. They were produced by Toyo in Japan, same as the Rambouillet, and the first batch was offered in either green or silver. Custom paint options were offered through a painter local to Rivendell for an upcharge, which accounts for most of the other colors you see. the Caramel was a custom color I asked for and Grant created for my Saluki from the first batch, and which he liked well enough to make it the stock option for future frame runs. (I asked for a "Harvest Gold," like some Riv customs but a richer tone with more brown)
As far as I know, the Saluki was the first production 650b-wheeled frame offered in the U.S. since a few mountain bikes from Raleigh and Schwinn in the 80's. They were initially offered with either NOS (reintroduced?) DiaCompe centerpull brakes or cantis, and when the Tektro super-long reach sidepulls were introduced, Grant designed a frame to go with them and fitted the smaller frames with 650b, the larger with 700c. Saluki production was rolled into this new frame. Steve -----Original Message----- From: rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com [mailto:rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com]on Behalf Of Rob Harrison Sent: Monday, May 03, 2010 1:02 PM To: RBW Owners Bunch Subject: [RBW] Saluki History + Provenance If all goes well it appears I may soon become an official member of the RBW Owners Bunch. (!!!) I'm curious about the origins and history of the Saluki. Can anyone fill me in? For example... • When did the model debut? Was it the first Riv bike designed for 650b? • Where were they made? By whom? • How many were made? • Did colors vary by model year, or was there a stock range? What were the colors? (I've seen mainly orange and butterscotch in the larger sizes, but there is quite a range of colors of smaller sizes still on the riv site.) • It's not currently in the catalog. When did production stop? Will they be back? (I heard a rumor of a possible rotation with the A.H.H.?) • Anyone have a pdf of the original "brochure" or design brief? Thank you! Rob in Seattle -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
