assorted pre-Thanksgiving comments

Have I mentioned this before? I don’t know, but I’ve thought of it a lot. It has to do with the lock selection and glove selection and helmet selection at any Big Ol’ Bike shop, and how…selection can lead to heart attacks and a gushing release of cortisol, the stress hormone. This $48 lock has a protection rating of eight, and weighs 21 ounces and opens with a combination. This other $60 lock has a protection rating of nine, weighs 18 ounces, and opens with a key. Those are two of thirty locks. Pick one and go. You almost can’t.

I can see a superlight lock to keep marginal people honest, and a heavy one to use for crimey spots. (Our lock…..is a good compromise. “Compromise” isn’t the word you’re looking for when you’re reading about locks, but like it or not, all locks are compromises.)

WE’RE GOING TO REDUCE our selection of THINGS in general. We’re doing OK-not-great financially. Who can complain about that, in these times? But we have 6 colors of bandanas, and it’ll go down to three by the end of the year. Our wheel selection is fantastically out of control, all for good reasons, but OOC is OOC, and it is that…so starting in spring of next year, we’re gonna chop it down mightily. There will always be custom options. Well…for the forseeable future, at least. Basically, though: You get Phil hubs or you don’t; light rims or stout ones. OK, 32H or 36H. Now and then a 40H, and if a guy weighs 128 and wants 28H wheels for a Roadeo, we won’t say No.

See how wheels can so easily multiply? We’re going to contain them in ‘12.

The Railroad shirts. I’ve got one on now. We were going to do one run, and did two. When these are gone, we’ll do one more in three years. Get ‘em while you can. Everybody likes the Railroad shirt. It’s a shame or nearly so, to live a life without one. It is always nearly good enough for anything.

My custom is coming along, I hear. It is the prototype for what I hope is a new model, but first-before-that, it is the prototype for nine or ten other bikes that nine or ten of you bought purely on speculation, without knowing, as they say, diddly, about it—other than it wouldn’t super-duplicate what we already have. I expect to have it by December 1. Painted by Dec. 15. Assembled by December 20, and up here right around then.

Our new MUSA undies are…the best I’ve ever worn, and I’ve worn every all-wool undie I ever heard about. They’re not worlds better, but they have an edge and the price is lowish. Don’t be afraid to wear wool on your crotch. Sheep do it, you can do it. You can easily wear the same pair three days in a row, by flip-flopping them. In a pinch…no problem. Good for traveling, then.

I found some other obscure bike parts in another box. Here:

Bullseye Woody pedals. Roger Durham, Bullseye founder—-he must be in his late ’80s by now, and I hope he’s hanging in there. He was (and maybe still is) a super smart bike guy with a No-BS attitude that I hope rubbed off some on me. He certainly influenced my thoughts on pedals and pedaling and foot position, and years of following his ways confirmed them. I put the sandpapery stuff on these. He liked ‘em smooth. I rode these a few thousand miles. They’re one-sided, but they feel g-g-g-g-grrrrrreeeeaaatt.

And here’s an adjustable stem with a special water bottle mount up front. It’s welded titanium with telescoping aluminum. Made by Pino Moronni, whom some of you know and other can google. Pino was more one-of-a-kind than anybody I’ve ever known, and in his later years found himself kinda nearly forgotten by bikedom, and yet still full of ideas and designs, and hoping for commercial success that never came. He tried to give me five times as much as what I ended up taking. I refused a lot—-for lots of reasons—-but ended up with a couple of bikes and some miscellany, and this is that.

Rich is our wheelbuilder. Lives in S.F. rides and BARTs to work, often with a load of wheels…..like today. Twelve wheels and a rim and hub box on his XtraCycle. Couldn’t do it without it.

Four hard drives containing all 43 issues of The Rivendell Reader.  Not sure what we’ll do with them, but the technology ‘tis amazing, no?

NOW, some bigger stuff that’s actually news

Jay is leaving. Here’s an ad, or close to it, that we’re putting on Craig’s list:

Rivendell is losing a great bike mechanic, friend, and can-do-it-all employee to a woman in Arizona, and needs to replace him. We aren’t seeking a fawner, but if you haven’t heard of us, you’re out.

We want somebody with the following qualifications, experience, and personal attributes:

Punctual, Efficient. Friendly. Thorough. Expert. Flexible. Forthcoming. Creative. Clean. Neat. Honest. Curious. Not a know-it-all. Willing to learn new (our) ways. Good with customers on the phone and in person. Experienced in retail. Mature (we are not ageist. If we meant “old” we’d have said it.) A good personality fit. Stable. Local.

Equal opportunity employer.

tips that shouldn’t need tipping: Show up on time to the interview. Have a resume. Dress better you’ll have to dress at work if you get the job and settle in. the applicant should contact:

john@rivbike.com

…and should reread the requirements twice and be confident of his or her ability to meet them. Knowing one of us or you doesn’t help.