Discover Top Posts Tagged with #grant petersen

An Interview with Grant Peteresen

Grant Petersen has done a lot for the humble bicycle. First through Bridgestone USA (the North American arm of the massive Japanese tyre company who produced some seriously influential bikes in the 80s and early 90s), and then with Rivendell Bicycle Works—the company he started in 1994—he’s been pushing for what you could maybe call an alternative bicycle future, where enjoyment, practicality and longevity take precedence over gimmicks, fads and The Next Big Thing™.

This might sound like common sense, but at a time when mainstream bikes have become unrepairable masses of high-tech jiggery-pokery, his ideas around hard-wearing steel frames and good ol’ simplicity (alongside the countless other uncomplicated concepts he laid down in his 2012 book Just Ride), have set him apart as a revolutionary.

What’s more, whilst his so-called ‘velosophy’ is no doubt influential (the recent uptick in baskets and swept-back handlebars being bolted onto old steel mountain bikes can probably be traced back to him), the way Rivendell operates is also well ahead of the proverbial curve. They’ve sold straight to their customers since the mid-90s and were publishing their own zine, the Rivendell Reader, long before people in meeting rooms started chatting about content marketing. He might also be the world’s biggest Bob Dylan fan.

Anyway, enough of the spiel. I caught him before a fishing trip to peck his head about everything from the early days of Rivendell to the art of finding satisfaction in struggle. Whether or not you’re into bicycles or not, Grant’s wise words here should give you something to think about…

https://www.nativve.com/people/an-interview-with-grant-petersen-founder-of-rivendell-bicycle-works/

#Grant Petersen #Rivendell Bicycle Works #Rivbikes

Rivelo is closing

It’s a new year, and time is not being kind to brick-and-mortar bike shops.

Bike Portland has reported that two bike shops plus a bike cafe are closing this month: Breadwinner Cafe, Norther Cycles, and Rivelo. The first two closings are sad, but don’t hold that much personal meaning to me: I wasn’t excited by the space and the selection at the Breadwinner Cafe, so it was never going to become…

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#a better cycle #breadwinner cycles #grant petersen #norther cycles #rivelo #rivendell #velo cult

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Thanks, Grant

After a year of wandering through a weird phase of hating riding fast, and racing bicycles, I realize what I am. I’m an unracer.

I found bikes through a friend who started riding in adulthood; which to anyone who doesn’t ride bikes, seems ridiculous - and a huge waste of time. “I’d rather be crusin’ down the road on a harley in leather chaps, wimp!” The deviance of i, and the adventure had me interested. But, I was riding a real piece of wal-mart (POW). Singletrack seemed like a spider-laden death swamp on that horrible POW, so I bailed, and looked for the most intense thing I could find; something that really showed how macho/masochistic I was: triathlbro-ing.

Swimming, biking, running: in the most expensive, no fun way possible to “stretch your limits.” Seriously; go to a triathlon and feast your eyes on the mass of six digit, first world humanity. A bunch of people - with loads of free time, suffering b/c they have the money to. I passed like 12 ppl with biikes that were worth more than our minivan! Eep! After ayear of my wife hating me for all the trainer rides during the time when we’d usually dirnk wine and do the nasty, I realized that the only thing I dug about this whole ordeal was bikezzzz.

BUT I STILL HAD TO COMPETE, BRAH. Which leads me to my first rabbit trail (of many which I’m bound to stumble down.) I still wanted the opponent - the obstacle to tackle - the UBER ACCOMPLISHMENT. In America, we applaud people for winning, accomplishing, and doing things that are considered unnecessarily fantastic. Everyone else are categorized as the “plebes,” the “freds,” and just all around regular. Well, consider me discount vanilla ice cream.

I tried my hand at gravel/cyclo bump ‘n grinding, only to realize that I still didn’t like the way that I was required to put a ridiculous amount of time into a beautiful hobby. I just want to ride my fuggin’ bike, man. So, after feeling like a piece o’ crap for not being super driven(obsessive) competitive; I realized that there wasn’t anything wrong with me - I was just identifying with the wrong lifestyle.

I’m an unracer, and I didn’t realize this until I read Grant Petersen’s Just Ride. This book was like the come down from the mountain moment for me. I was reading the opening chapter, and welling up with that “fuck yes!” feeling you get when someone says something ya really believe in. I believe the religious folk yell “amen” when they get this feeling.

If ya haven’t had the pleasure of reading it, the book delves into the feelings that many of us have when the spandex group breaks away from bu, and you’re like “dumb.” It’s ok to just get on a bike and ride in ur khakis and t shirt, and honestly, it’s purer. Grant provides many reasons why modern bike culture is geared toward profit driven sales tactics, that motivate common people to buy a carbon race rocket and strap on a chamois. Races make a TON of money off people who want to feel “accomplished,” so they sign up in droves to have a sore crotch and a finisher prize.

I just want to ride my bike, drink some drank, enjoy friends, and feel my legs move as I glide through the natural world. If ya want to be fast guy, power meter fellow - do so! Just know that there is another way to ride a bike, and it doesn’t make you any less of a human. There are still people to ride with, you still stay in “shape,” and you get to see way more since you’re no longer staring at ur garmin.

C’mon in, gang! The water’s fine!

#grant petersen #cycling #bikepacking #bikes #philosophy

Visits with Marc and Grant

Hello friends. Pardon the cobwebs. I haven’t really posted in a couple weeks for a couple reasons. The first is that there hasn’t been much going on bikewise here. Short days and a five day work week mean little time for fun rides, plus we’ve had a good spate of wet weather. But more importantly, I’ve been busy with other things, notably wrapping up the editing of the Sixth and final edition of…

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