I'm gonna mention the Kool Aid, but to collect you'll have to come to the Five Islands Brewery here n Wollongong, Australia. First in best dressed and make mine an Apocalypso. Now that I've got that off my chest, I agree with most of your observations however:- For me, whipping with twine is a flashback to repairing cricket bats.. Something I had to do as a young boy as we couldn't afford new bats. But it was Rivendell that sparked it, hadn't thought of it for years. Zip ties are fine for temporary repairs but I prefer to find more permanent solutions for affixing bits and bobs. I love wide tyres. This was a great revelation from Rivendell to me. My Atlantis runs on 37mm and I have a sneaking suspicion that 650b wheels with 42mm tyres might be the best choice for me. I have a Beach Cruiser with 50mm tyres and it is so comfortable and sure footed on the red gravel path through Puckey's Reserve.. I cannot ride a bike with out a leather (Brooks) saddle. High bars work for me but position is so personal. I have herniated disks and, Ross, my mechanic has found a position on the 64cm Atlantis using a 10cm Dirtdrop. Moustache bars, my old B17 Special and a lugged seat post that suits me fine. He thinks I need a bigger bike and I am nudging the tipping point when for the cost of importing a fine Rivendell there are local artisans who can fashion superb frames from lugs and steel. Living on the other side of the Pacific has its problems. I still have a pair of SPD pedals somewhere but I love the various MKS pedals I've acquired over the years. I also have the MKS platforms with toe clips and some locally made kangaroo leather straps. But these I keep for special occasions. Albatross bars are just fantastic. I have a fascination with the unusual and fantastic. I was intrigued by folding bicycles and as work takes me around the country and I need my rides to keep my old body functioning, they looked like a good idea. Saw a Birdy on the net, got my niece to buy it for me, rode and was appalled. I thought I had wasted my money. Put on a B68 and a set of Albatross bars and it is transformed. I now hurtle around the place on a non Rivendell bike but it is the Rivendell parts which make it workable. Wool, ah wool. I grew up in Canberra which is in the Yass fine wool growing area. In the markets of the little towns throughout the area you will find local spinners and weavers with merino garments of the highest quality although some of the colour combinations can be startling. I have a Rugby sweater from a market in Canberra that was just gorgeous and fifteen years later still looks great. Finally , the real reason I drink the Kool Aid, it is the attitude to cycling. You don't have to race or tour or commute or belong to any of the myriad tribes. You don't even have to be orthodox Rivendell. You can just go out and ride for the fun of it. I'm sixty six now but when I set off in the morning for my tour of the beaches I'm eight years old and free as a bird.
-- 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 http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
