Next Full Moon

Sunday, May 3rd Full Flower Moon

20 June 2011

near professional skill

I am loving to hate Rivendell Bicycle Works at this time. You may join me if you lik. Now, ordinarily, I'd say they design some well-thought-out bicycle related items. But I am currently packing my ish for a 4 day trip via a bicycle, and my baggage (Rivendell made) is failing me. My panniers are at the seamstress' having their blown out seams (yes, multiple.) repaired. Those panniers have seen several years of hard use and seen it well, but now they are blown out and I can't use them. So I hate Rivendell.

More relevant to right now, is the continuing blow out of my handlebar bag. Look:

The upper fasteners there are rivets that I had previously used to fix the blown out factory rivets, which you can see as the lowers (which have recently blown). The other side, upper and lower, was blown a while ago and I "fixed" it with rivets. That's "fixed" because my rivets (yes, I used washers inside and out to share the load) have pulled through also. And being how I am, I cussed the bag and put it on the bench to repair it after the last trip...only to forget to do anything with it until I needed it.

I realize my fault in this, and that a last minute scramble on my part does not an emergency for Rivendell make, but dang. The little knobs on my quick release leather closure straps for the seat bag have vibrated loose/off as well. Lost and gone, and try to find that small brass part at a hardware store. Plus that bag ripped at both corners within a week of purchase.


Bags made for cycling ought to hold up to some actual use. I'm left feeling that Rivendell's products are made for toting your iPad and smoked salmon to the yoga studio. Let's face it: real life is rough. Scrappy. A tad wall-eyed. It falls down.


Anyways, I actually "fixed" that damned handle bar bag this time. I used the left over aluminum spacers from my useful (and designed for beer drinking and hell raising) Surly rack. I cut the 3rd hole off, filed the edges, and presto! it's a backing plate for some nuts to bolts linkage.



Thanks, Surly!


Now my shade tree workers co-operative fairy dust will not blow out my bag?





Some foodstuffs.

I gotta go pack the rest. 4 days in Henry Coe. Bikes. Ticks. Swimming holes.


Nobody break in here while I'm out there.

12 comments:

Human Wrecking Ball said...

That last picture of your bike may be the most awesome thing you have ever posted. Dude you are my hero.

Tom said...

The top tube thermarest was an epiphany for me.

Do it to it!

Traditional Bike Club Curmudgeon said...

Talking bad about Rivendell might get you a snake in the mail box (ala Scientology) or at least demoted within the R-dell cult.

Silk Hope said...

You really are the "Grand Sherpa" of cycling. Don't forget to pack the Pabst.

Mr. Hope

Gunnar Berg said...

Hamm's!!! (I'm back)

Gunnar Berg said...

I've never been impressed with Riv bikes and I even know one of the builders personally (The one who's name is no longer spoken.)

John Romeo Alpha said...

5mm hex for the win.

msantos said...

hope you guys stayed next to some body of water yesterday, temps must've been near the 100's. i'm sure the moon is still pretty bright and y'all are enjoyin that. when you get back please update me on the tick count. frame bags.....you want.

Katie said...

Bon voyage!

Justine Valinotti said...

I love the bike photo. The thermarest, or whatever it is, on the top tube actually looks right with everything else.

Now I feel a little less guilty over not liking Riv even though I've never actually used any of their products. (Their own, I mean.)

Have a great trip!

reverend dick said...

I wouldn't join any club that would have someone like me as a member.

2 out of 3 pieces of their "Nigel Smythe" baggage have failed in multiple(!) ways PER bag. Also, my "Baggins Bag" panniers have ripped like a MOTHERFUCKER in several places along several seams.

Now, sure- you can throw my usage in my face, and you can say that it "exceeds intended usage", and you can say that the world is an imperfect place where accidents happen. You could make a convincing case in which I am the drug-addled bad guy.

I don't care.

A bag intended for use should stand up and take it. Over stuffing IS going to happen (I do not complain about burst zippers...that ish happens, and to their credit, Rivendell was smart enough to keep zipper use low.) Seams should be some kind of triple stitched wizard bond. Full stop. Little thread-on proprietary brass hardware should be fucking locked on!! Attachments that have the capacity to bear load should be sturdy and reliable, not held on with pinner rivets!

Wear and tear? Totally in bounds.
Accident? Understood.
Pricey and fragile? BULLSHIT.

reverend dick said...

AND the leather backed straps that I had to fix with metal? They are stabilizers. That's it. Their only use is to be tied to the brake hoods to limit the sway of the handlebar bag.

You tell me.