Rivendell's contribution to Byron

     While most of the parts I used on Byron were borrowed from my previous mixte or from Soma and Velo Orange, there are a couple which are peculiar to Rivendel also.  I used their Albatross bar, which is a really wide north road type bar made by Nitto of Japan.  I chose it because I thought it's width thwould be more comfortable since my shoulders are wide.  It also provides a sporty drop position when inverted and I certainly wasn't disappointed in the finish.  Most people opt for a narrower bar on city bikes, but this is a small city, I'm not noodling my way through traffic jams on a daily basis.  In fact, this town has installed bike lanes wherever they fit on the streets.  Another item is the rear view mirror.  I really like it.  It is made in Germany and available from Rivendell for about $20 or so.  It has a unique shape, provides a nice field of vision, fits on any handlebar and doesn't look completely dorky (although my son said Peewee Herman would be proud, I disowned my son). 

The  most important part from Riv is the Grip Rite pedals. It's another of Grant Peterson's designs which has hit the mainstream.  MKS makes them and distributes them everywhere .  These are not only super comfortable with the huge pedal surface they are extremely functional as well.  The enormous length makes ankling much easier and more natural and

when I wear regular street shoes

placing the heel against the pedal traps my foot in perfect position so the ball of my foot stays right over the axle.  In effect the heel provides the same service as a pair of toeclips, trapping my foot in position and providing a way to extend the pedal stroke upwards as well.