This is a shameless attempt to save the the most advanced civilization in
history from imminent self destruction by eliminating carbon emission,
dependence on foreign sources of fuel,obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Cycling accomplishes all those things at once and helps us develop a better
understanding of ourselves, each other and our relationship to the cosmos.

Oh, horse puckey!
I like to ride bikes, have been doing it all my life.
The rest of that crap is just a fringe benefit,
and the blogosphere gives me a chance to share my interior
monologue with virtual rather than imaginary friends.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

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.

2 comments:

  1. Hey! I spec'd MKS pedals on the LHT I just got last week. My LBS had never seen them, or heard of them (mainly cross and dirtbike racers) and when the pedals arrived they were all oogling! I got the idea of using them from http://pathlesspedaled.com/ and love how they make it so easy to just jump on the bike and go -- regardless of what footwear-- adding greatly to it's functionality. They also look like 'bling' on the bike. Wide, sturdy, good grippage, and light-weight. Not cheap, but great. Only drawback is that now all my other bikes pedals seem uncomfortable;-)

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  2. They do make other pedals seem uncomfortable. I love feeling that I can just jump on Byron and go,regardless of my shoes.

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