I used my Bombadil primarily as my mtb, but I really wanted something that would take fatter tires. As Bill said, it made a great road touring bike, and if I needed one of those I would have kept it. The 650bx42 combo was my favorite too.
jim m walnut creek On Monday, June 15, 2026 at 12:42:24 PM UTC-7 Bill Lindsay wrote: > I sold a Bombadil. I got into Rivendell the way a lot of people do. I > bought one, and it changed my whole "world view" of cycling and I was > eager, bordering on desperate to get another. There was a 56cm Orange > powdercoated Bombadil in their "web specials" section for $2000. I looked > at it every day. After hemming and hawing with myself for a while I bought > it. Riv surprised me by giving me a color-matched Bullmoose handlebar when > I picked it up. I tried building it as a dirt-drop mountain bike, but it > only took ~2" tires. I ran it briefly as a flat bar mountain bike, but its > best setup was with 650b x 42 slicks and fenders. That's how I rode it the > most and I sold it because what I really wanted at the time was a > randonneur bike. Same wheels and tires, but 5-6 pounds lighter. I sold > the frame + fork + headset + bull moose color matched bars for $1500. > > Now I know what the Bombadil actually is: a stout road touring bike. I > hope that the person I sold it to for $1500 will say "I'm done with it. Do > you want it back?" and I'll say "Sure. I'll rent it to you for $50 a > year, and you've had it for 10 years so sell the frame fork and handlebars > back to me for $1000. " I have a few bikes that CAN be a road touring > bike, but the Bombadil would be perfect as a road touring bike. > > Bill Lindsay > El Cerrito, CA > > > On Monday, June 15, 2026 at 11:54:35 AM UTC-7 Jamie D. wrote: > >> I'm always curious how much the scarcity effect plays into one's desire >> to own one of these frames. I'd be interested to hear from some folks who >> sold their Bombadil and/or Hunqapillar about their reasons for moving on. >> >> On Monday, June 15, 2026 at 1:07:03 PM UTC-4 [email protected] wrote: >> >>> Another Have making us Have-Nots/Missed-the-Boats feel sorry for >>> ourselves… ;-) >>> >>> -- >>> Bob >>> >>> On Monday, June 15, 2026 at 7:59:22 AM UTC-6 Drew Fitchette wrote: >>> >>>> Fun write up for a Hunq over on the Radavist: >>>> >>>> >>>> https://theradavist.com/spencers-rivendell-hunqapillar-an-offer-he-couldnt-refuse >>>> >>>> On Monday, May 4, 2026 at 1:42:04 AM UTC-4 Joe Putnam wrote: >>>> >>>>> Chiming in to say a huge "thank you" to Drew, who sold me his old >>>>> Saluki. It's a dream bike for sure, and quite unique among my bikes. Will >>>>> need to post some photos soon showing off the stable, with this bike >>>>> being >>>>> a contender for "top dawg". Congrats you got that Hunq! my heart skipped >>>>> a >>>>> beat when I saw that. >>>>> >>>>> On Sunday, April 5, 2026 at 7:16:56 AM UTC-7 [email protected] >>>>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> [image: IMG_0601.jpeg]In what feels like almost the most ironically >>>>>> poetic thing that could’ve happened, Riv posted what might be the last >>>>>> of >>>>>> the new (now extinct) Hunqapillars last week on their web specials >>>>>> <https://www.rivbike.com/products/54cm-hunqapillar-web-special> >>>>>> page. >>>>>> >>>>>> I(like many) have pined for one of these bikes since going down the >>>>>> Rivendell rabbit hole, and have gone through more than my share of >>>>>> frames >>>>>> trying to find “the one”, if that’s even a thing… >>>>>> >>>>>> I’d recently posted here that I was after a 54 Hunq or 56 Bombadil, >>>>>> and that my 58 Saluki and 56 Atlantis would be up for trade if someone >>>>>> wanted. I received interest in both bikes if I was willing to sell them, >>>>>> and the Saluki went to someone who’d been dreaming of one for years, >>>>>> while >>>>>> the Atlantis is still here… for now. >>>>>> >>>>>> Then… the universe said here’s a bike built essentially how you’d >>>>>> want, and the money goes to a good cause… >>>>>> >>>>>> So I bought it, and will inevitably post a ton of photos of it when >>>>>> it’s here and in use. >>>>>> >>>>>> - Drew in ATL >>>>>> >>>>>> On Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 2:44:29 PM UTC-5 maxcr wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> In case you missed this, here are a couple of beautiful Hunqa's from >>>>>>> the Radavist: A Visit To The Nutmeg Country Cycling Museum Part 2: Troy >>>>>>> and >>>>>>> Jen’s Stable of Bikes. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> https://theradavist.com/nutmeg-country-cycling-museum-bikes/?fbclid=PAZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAab50lXXmeCXyX7uVSDDM4GaaSsBs8jOZAu0YbsTes_ADxa7hxsRsbddU3I_aem_fHbZEdOdx98jl1LNhKndiA >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Max >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [image: 2024_Nutmeg_Country_Museum_Bikes-74.jpg] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> [image: 2024_Nutmeg_Country_Museum_Bikes-104.jpg] >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Sunday, June 4, 2023 at 1:09:40 PM UTC-4 Bill Rhea wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> [image: D82489DA-D437-4E5E-8DB9-192D50D1B61D_1_105_c.jpeg] >>>>>>>> This is from last year, touring the Oregon and NorCal coast on my >>>>>>>> 62cm Waterford Hunqa, which I believe I got in 2010 or 2011 as an >>>>>>>> "early >>>>>>>> adopter" >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> I'll never sell this bike, ever! It always puts a smile on my face >>>>>>>> when I ride it >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> -br >>>>>>>> On Sunday, December 11, 2022 at 7:16:08 AM UTC-8 [email protected] >>>>>>>> wrote: >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> It seems the Bombadil and Hunqapillar frames are beloved. They're >>>>>>>>> stout, beautiful, and sometimes have intricate additional tubes and >>>>>>>>> lugs. >>>>>>>>> While I've done a lot of reading about Rivendell I was a bit unclear >>>>>>>>> on the >>>>>>>>> origins and intended uses of these frames. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> I wanted to start a thread where we could share and dump info >>>>>>>>> about these bikes along with pictures of builds. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Joe and Jim were helpful in laying out a bit of background in another >>>>>>>>> thread >>>>>>>>> <https://groups.google.com/g/rbw-owners-bunch/c/mkxv02ciCM4/m/KqWZOIMQAwAJ>, >>>>>>>>> there's >>>>>>>>> some great info there. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The original Hunqapillar catalog is up here: >>>>>>>>> http://notfine.com/rivendell/Brochures/Rivendell%20Frames%20Hunqapillar.pdf >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> The first mention I can find of the Bombadil is in RR 41, sometime >>>>>>>>> in 2009. Excerpted pages attached. As a few members might recall I am >>>>>>>>> very >>>>>>>>> into raw frames with brass spilling out of the lugs! I know that many >>>>>>>>> Bombadil owners have had their frames repainted like Jason Fuller, >>>>>>>>> whose >>>>>>>>> absolute stunner shows up here from time to time. By the way, the >>>>>>>>> picture >>>>>>>>> below is one of my very favorite Rivendell images. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> [image: Jason Bombadil green.jpg] >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> There's also the butter-banana Bombadil that recently sold on >>>>>>>>> eBay. I believe that one was purchased by John Watson of the Radavist >>>>>>>>> (and >>>>>>>>> he's got a Hunq) so we might see some nice pics of that bike sometime >>>>>>>>> soon. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> [image: s-l1600-2.jpg] >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> And speaking of, here's John's Hunqapillar, more images and >>>>>>>>> write-up here >>>>>>>>> <https://theradavist.com/rivendell-hunqapillar-review/>. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> [image: Johns-Rivendell-Hunqapillar-29er-Klunker-76.jpg] >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>> Are both of these frame names borrowing from Tolkien? I understand >>>>>>>>> RBW had to stop using Tolkien names. >>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> -- 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 visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/595c4971-60c6-4838-8a57-50eff3b36ab9n%40googlegroups.com.
