Latest Builds

Atlantis Trio

The fabled and somewhat elusive Atlantis is the most sought-after model in Rivendell's lineup, and for good reason! Having decades of refinement and tinkering behind it, the Atlantis, in their words: "defines our approach to bikes and our ride and fit and aesthetics as well as any bike can." Billed as a do-it-all bike that'll last (almost) forever, the Atlantis is made to change and evolve as your tastes and needs do, too. So, how do you go about building a forever bike? As is our great pleasure, we recently built three of 'em in fairly short succession for three customers lucky enough to snatch Atlantis frames in time. Mario's Kicking off the trio is Mario's Sergio Green 59cm Atlantis. This absolutely bonkers build is the result of leaving no stone unturned. Every little detail was considered for it's manufacturing quality, durability, serviceability and, of course, bling-factor. 700x42C Ultradynamico Rosé Race tires. Mario opted not to max-out the tire clearance knowing he'll eventually want to add fenders. The White Industries cranks with their proprietary double chainring is perfect if you want to fine-tune your gearing. Here, Mario is probably intending to stay on the large 42t ring most of the time, only to drop to the 24t ring when things get steep. Lovely finishing details as you can expect from our fine mechs! Ted's This 50cm Atlantis is as classic as it gets! The small front Sim Works Obento rack (same as on the Atlantis above, and possibly a staff favourite I might add) paired with the sturdiest Tubus rack available make this one fully ready for some seriously loaded touring. The Obento, although not large and seemingly delicate is actually incredibly solid thanks to its 5 attachment points. Tubus CrMo steel racks are no-brainers for classic pannier touring. Cantilever brakes are wonderful when trying to make racks, large tires and eventually fenders work well together since v-brake arms can sometimes get in the way. Cantilevers, being short-pull, also keep the door open for an easy drop bar conversion in the future should Ted ever choose to do so. Smart! The hacked triple crank is a fun touch. Ted opted for our Bassi Classic Triple crankset and replaced the biggest ring with our Bassi Chainguard. The remaining 34 and 24t rings give plenty of range and the 10-tooth difference between them will make for ultra smooth shifting, every time. Bitex Heavy-Duty touring hubs laced to Velocity Cliffhanger rims will spin smooth and true no matter what gets thrown at them! Ted also opted to keep tire size reasonable with 650x48B Ultradynamico Cavas to save room for an eventual fender installation. Another A+ 10/10 build! Samuel's Rounding out the trio is this 55cm Sergio Green Atlantis for Samuel. This one was built around some parts he already had, namely the handlebars. Boscos set up nice and high for max comfort! Setting up the thumbies "upside-down" and further down the bars leaves a ton of room for moving your hands forward. That's an Ultradynamico tire on Velocity rim hat trick! Here Sam opted for the Ultradynamico Cava JFF in 700x42C and Velocity Atlas rims. The eyeleted Atlas is about as strong a rim as Velocity know how to make, and with 36 spokes each these wheels will be able to carry a boatload without hesitation! A Shutter Precision front dynamo hub provides power to a front and a rear light. At the rear is Rivendell's Silver-brand cassette hub. The Nitto Lamp Holder designed by Blue Lug is exactly the kind of perfect little accessory Blue Lug are just so good at designing! The Busch & Müller IQ-XS provides plenty of light at 80 lux and is way more than enough for city use. The Busch & Müller Mu rear light, mounted with a p-clamp à la Julian, will keep Sam seen from behind. The generous amount of rear wiring is enough to give the option of mounting the light on a rear rack. The cranks, also a double, are Rivendell's latest Silver 3 crankset with a chainguard and 44/28t. Being already set up with fenders and a basket, Sam's Atlantis is perfectly set up for all-weather rides and commutes! Fin So there you have it! 3 different Atlantis build, all with their own little twists. We look forward to seeing how these will get ridden in throughout the years! Keen on your own custom Rivendell build? Come on down to our Rachel store or hit us up! Want a Rivendell at a great price and don't need to overthink every single component, we have a very limited number (2, at the time of writing this) Complete Rivendell Platypus bicycles. Check 'em out! All photos by Troy

Miyata Flat Bar Conversion

If you only know about us from our Socials, it might seem like we’re constantly and exclusively churning out ultra-fancy brand-spankin’ new builds left and right. Though that may not technically be wrong, our real bread n’ butter is keeping decades old machines riding smooth, with everything from minor tweaks to a part upgrade to a full-bore rebuild. One recurring job is the flat-bar conversion. Come in to either C&L location and you’ll see racks of handlebar options, because we believe it’s one of the most important parts that determine how your bike rides and feels! Over the years, we’ve swapped tons of ill-fitted drop bars for wider, comfier flat or upright bars. Drop bars have their place, no doubt. But riding around the city with an imitation race bike fit so commonly found with road bikes is bound to be downright unpleasant for most people after a while. We’ll be occasionally highlighting a few favourite bar swaps from here on out! The story we know of this Miyata Triple Cross starts with a somewhat aggro cockpit comprised of a long stem and narrow, deep drop bars. Florence, wanting to tap into the then-nascent gravel bike craze, requested an adaptation of a very suitable candidate for the job. A quick stem and handlebar replacement and gearing down to a 1x drivetrain did the trick! Fast forward a few years to this summer, Florence came back for it's next transformation: Townie Mode. Same Velo Orange stem, but now with a Velo Orange Curvy handlebar for even more comfort and control on everyday rides. ESI silicone grips add some extra comfort. #savethetriplecrank We know how Bill and Simon feel about triples. They’re great and add a ton of versatility to an already very capable bike. Off with the 1x crank and back with the triple! Smooth friction shifting is provided by Shimano bar-end shifters mounted on Rivendell Silver shifter mounts. Tektro FL540 brake levers and the original Shimano 200CX cantilevers supply the stoppage. Funny enough, this bike has pretty much fully circled back to it’s semi-original state, per the 1992 Miyata catalogue: Though I’m sure Florence is as glad as I am that straight narrow bars get to stay in the past. Photos by Troy

Matt's Heavy Duty 58cm Hog's Back

Matt and his partner Erin, having recently moved from Vancouver to Montreal, were in the market for a couple bikes for getting around town with the occasional longer outings sprinkled in. A quick test ride of a floor demo was all Matt needed to have his heart set on a Hog’s Back! With the intent on replicating the vibe of the Philly Bike Expo show bike we had on display, we sent off on spec’ing the most robust yet fun and lively build. Let’s take a look! Being a tall and heavy-set person, Matt had difficulties with stock bikes’ durability in the past. His most recent one, from a very reputable brand with a seemingly sensible spec list, gave him trouble particularly with the wheels and the cranks getting repeatedly wonky after every few rides. Here’s how we addressed those concerns: Hand-built wheels were a no-brainer for this project. Not only is the end product always tougher, straighter and longer lasting than stock machine-built equivalents, we also get to fine tune component selection. We opted for made-in-USA Velocity Cliffhanger rims, the most robust in their catalogue and a perfect size for the desired tire width. Sapim Strong spokes, designed for tandems and ebikes, were an easy choice with 36 of ‘em on each wheel. The venerable Shimano M525 were the top pick due to the tried-and-true construction, serviceability if ever anything does go wrong and unbeatable value. Ultradynamico Cava Robusto 27.5x2.2" tires offer enough protection and way more comfort compared to stiff-as-hell “flat-proof” tires. For cranks and bottom bracket, we looked no further than to Shimano’s SAINT lineup. Designed for the extreme rigours of downhill mountain biking, we knew it would be perfect for the task at hand! Featuring steel pedal thread inserts and their toughest steel crank spindle, they’re probably overkill but we wanted to leave no stone unturned! This build needed to not only be actually tough, but we also wanted it to inspire confidence in the rider. Headset issues weren’t discussed but they’re arguably one of the more important elements when thinking of durability and keeping the frame safe. We’ve seen numerous frames with ovalized headtubes rendering them useless over the years, all because they were ridden for far too long with a poorly adjusted or a totally cooked headset. The FSA The Pig, intended for BMX use, has an oversized CrMo bottom cup for extra strength. And, both the bottom and top cup inserts that go into the frame are taller in order to dissipate forces further along the headtube, making it much safer the frame. Here's the rest of the spec, also thought up for strength and durability: Frame: 2022 Bassi Hog’s Back Frame, Aqua Blue, 58cm Headset: FSA The Pig headset Stem: Thomson BMX ø22.2mm clamp Seatpost: Bassi forged ø27.2mm Saddle: Brooks B67 Handlebar: Surly Sunrise Grips: Ergon GP1 Shifter and Rear Derailleur: MicroSHIFT XCD, 11-speed Cassette: MicroSHIFT 11-speed, 11-46t Crank: Shimano FC-M820 SAINT Bottom Bracket: Shimano SM-BB80 SAINT Brakes: SRAM Guide T, 4-piston Rotors: Jagwire SR1, ø160mm Hubs: Shimano M525, 36h Rims: Velocity Cliffhanger 27.5” Spokes: Sapim Strong Tires: Ultradynamico Cava Robusto 27.5x2.2" Pedals: Crank Brothers Stamp 1 Large Rear rack: Blackburn EX-1 Bell: Crane E-ne Neo Polished Black Kickstand: Greenfield KS2 Bottle Cage: Blackburn Mountain aluminum Photos by Troy

A Touring Rachel

We've observed several customers opting for the Rachel with drop bars since we first started producing it in 2017, and it's something we genuinely appreciate. It’s something that needs to be planned carefully, because we make the Rachel frame quite long in the front so that it’s comfortable with swept-back handlebars. That means a shorter and higher stack stem is needed to shorten the reach when using drop handlebars. In building this one, we drew inspiration from the type of riding we enjoy most: long all-day rides over different terrains, where you could be rolling over five different kinds of roads in the space of a couple of hours. The gearing is wide, the brakes are powerful, the cockpit is comfortable, and the tires are knobby. We were pleased by how nimble yet easy and pleasant the steering is with this short-but-tall stem and the very best drop bars, Nitto’s Noodle Mod.177. The brake levers are a new model from Dia-Compe, and are special in that they’re long-pull levers, meaning you can use drop bars with standard V-brakes. We’ll definitely be using these levers in the future since they feel and look fantastic. The front dynamo wheel with standby rim, the Sun Ringlé CR18, is also the first wheel our own Emiliano ever built! He did amazing, go Emiliano! Oh also this bike is for sale right here! Parts list: Frame: Bassi Rachel 51cm FondueHeadset: Tange CDS blackSeatpost: Bassi 27.2 Silver Saddle: Brooks C17 GreenStem: Nitto Technomic NTC 50mm x 225mmHandlebar: Nitto Noodle 46cmBar tape: Fizik 2mm TempoDrivetrain: Microshift XCD 11-speed paired with Microshift bar end shifterCassette: Microshift 11-46tCrankset: Bassi narrow-wide Low 38tWheels: Rear CR18 paired to Shimano hub, front CR18 handbuilt with Shutter Precision PD-8 dynamo hub.Tires: Continental Race King 26 x 2.0”Brakes: Shimano Alivio T4000 V-BrakesBrake levers: Dia-Compe 287VPedals (sold separately): MKS Allways

Étienne's Classic Tourer Hog's Back

Étienne's pink Hog's Back is one of the last of that colour way to leave the shop. He opted for a classic European style touring configuration - alt-bars reminiscent of northern Euro trekking/butterfly setups, components from Shimano's hard to find in North America Deore trekking group, and four panniers. Those panniers are special - made in Sherbrooke by Arkel, Étienne has had them since forever and has toured with them in Europe, with patches from everywhere he's been! Spec Highlights Bassi Hog's Back frameset, piggy pink, 54cm Cane Creek 40 headset Shimano T4000 crankset, derailleurs, and shifters Sun Ringlé Rhyno Lite rims Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires TRP Spyke calipers and levers Surly Moloko handlebar Brooks B17 saddle Vintage Arkel panniers Classic touring pics by @jochhoo

Ben's Randonneur-MTB Hog's Back

Open pictures in a new tab to embiggen We've basically sold out of the first run of the Hog's Back (don't worry, we're getting more in late 2020), building most of them as our standard gravel-tourer. That doesn't mean we don't love custom jobs, though! Ben's HB is a perfect example: he's using a lot of our stock parts but brought us some of his for us to add or substitute. He Scotch-brited his Velo Orange fenders to dull them, he's using a comfy Selle Anatomica leather saddle, and his friend Max made him a custom randonneur bag, here seen sitting on a Velo Orange Campeur rack. We made Ben a custom Soma Grand Randonneur a few years ago, for good gravel and road long-haul rides. This Hog's Back is more or less a MTB-randonneur answer to that old build, for gnarlier routes. In Ben's words: Fun facts: it's so smooth and comfortable that I forget I'm riding it sometimes, really lets my mind wander and take in the scenery. And it descends rough stuff supernaturally well even with a full front load. That's the design intention for this frame, Ben nailed it! Thanks for the photos, Ben and Jo (@jochhoo)

Hog's Back Mauve de Mike

Ouvrez les images dans un nouvel onglet pour les voir en gros Donnez-vous quelques minutes sur un banc de parc ou le matin avec votre café. Je vous en assure ça vaut la peine, et pas juste pour le Hog’s Back mauve, surtout pour Mike, le seul, l’unique, le charmant, Michael Cadano. Je me souviens, il y a 7 ans, je rentrais dans un petit magasin, un placard ! Situé sur une petite rue que je ne connaissais pas, la porte qui bloquait un peu quand tu essayais de l’ouvrir, des veilles boiseries au plafond haut, quelques bikes d’une marque que je ne connaissais pas sur le plancher, de la poussière, pleins de cadres nus au mur, des vieux bikes de route italiens d’une marque plus connue couleur bleu céleste, des Aerospoke (vous voyez, ça fait longtemps), mais surtout un bonhomme fort sympathique derrière un stand Park Tool qui m’a finalement accompagné dans la construction de mon premier vélo sur mesure… Tel un archéologue commençant les premières fouilles dans la vallée des morts, je capotais d’avoir trouvé un endroit comme C&L Cycles. L’expérience du sur mesure a changé ma conception du vélo, de ce que pouvait être un bike shop. Pourquoi toutes les shop ne faisaient pas ça ? Mon histoire avec C&L ne s’est qu’embellie. La preuve : j’ai appris ma mécanique avec Jean-Daniel que j’ai rencontré pas trop longtemps après, j’ai donné un coup de main quand la deuxième succursale sur Rachel à ouvert il y a quatre ans et, maintenant, j’ai la chance absolument incroyable de pouvoir travailler à temps plein chez C&L et d’être entouré des plus beaux vélos en acier à Montréal. Surtout, j’ai la chance de rendre la pareille. J’en ai appris sur le vélo dans les sept dernières années (mais comme dit l’autre, j’en sais juste assez pour savoir que je ne sais rien). Je mange le vélo dans mes céréales le matin, et je vous assure que je fais tout mon possible pour que quand vous faites confiance à C&L avec un vélo sur mesure, le plaisir de rouler sera au moins égal à celui que j'ai depuis que j'ai mon Bassi. Mais parlons de Mike ! Un peu comme moi, Mike est rentré pas trop longtemps avant la fermeture un jour de l'été dernier sur Rachel. « Salut, comment est-ce que je peux t’aider ? » « Oh, just looking ! » Je sais pas pour vous, mais à voir ce que ça a donné, je suis content qu’il n’aie pas juste regardé, et je sais que lui est content de ne pas juste s’être rincé les yeux ce fameux jour d’été 2019. Il a commencé à me poser des questions sur les bikes, on a commencé à jaser. Le gars a un fixie de la mort, des composantes de la mort (exemple symptomatique du bike : moyeux Phil Wood), tout quoi pour attiser le coup de foudre. Pis le gars n’est pas à son premier rodéo en ce qui a trait aux vélos sur mesure. Malade ! Il pose des questions sur la shop, notre marque, sur moi. Je lui pose des questions sur lui, ses bikes, ses projets. Je ne sais pas trop comment on est atterri là, mais à un moment donné je lui descends du mur de derrière l’atelier ( il n’était pas à vue d’œil de la clientèle… et c’était voulu… grave erreur mon Sam ) le dernier prototype non peint de ce qui allait être le Hog’s Back. Je ne sais pas combien d’entre vous on déjà tenu un cadre brut en acier dans vos mains, mais c'est quelque chose de magique. Je sais pas si c’est le look des soudures, les bébé taches de rouilles, les traces du travail du maître soudeur ou les possibilités infinies d’un vélo sur mesure. Je m’étais mis le cadre de côté pour moi. L’idée de le peindre (ou pas), de choisir toutes les pièces, un projet pour soutenir mes carences de vélos au courant de l’hiver qui s’en venait. Toutefois, ce cadre-là, je l’ai mis dans les mains de Mike, et j’étais fait. De là, en quelques heures, Mike est devenu un de nos clients les plus réguliers. On a commencé avec une liste de pièces initiale qui a finalement changé mille et une fois. Mike rentrait avec des questions, voulait savoir si telles ou telles pièces ferraient du sens. Je lui donnais des « devoirs », d’aller lire sur tel ou tel site internet, de découvrir tel ou tel manufacturier. Le gars était en feu ! Je sais pas comment il était à l’école, mais dans ma salle de classe au 978 Rachel ce fut mon étudiant le plus studieux de 2019. Il a rencontré le reste de l’équipe, demandait l’avis de Luc, de Simon, de Julian. On a tous fini par s’asseoir avec lui au courant de ce fantastique projet. On a eu la chance d’appendre à le connaître, reconnaître le superbe entrepreneur qu’il est, mais surtout le bel être humain. J’aime les vélos, mais ces rencontres, ces individus que je croise par l’entremise du vélo, à la fin c’est ça qui me fait le plus flipper. De pouvoir ensemble réaliser un projet qui sera uniquement dédié au bonheur d’exister. Je pense que c’est ce que j’ai, ce que nous avons vécu avec Mike. Il nous a fait confiance, il a cherché, on a cherché, on s’y est tous mis et de là est né le monstre mauve que vous avez devant les yeux. Quand on a fini d’assembler le vélo en février dernier, je ne pouvais pas être là pour célébrer avec tout le monde, et avec Mike. J’ai pris le temps de lui écrire un petit mot : « Hey Mike. Je suis si content que le projet arrive à bon port et que ce soit toi qui est fini avec le dernier prototype. Honnêtement, entre toi et moi, c’était toi qui étais fait pour l’avoir. Ton enthousiasme immédiat et ta dévotion pour le cadre furent un de mes « highlights » de l’été dernier. T'es parfait, ton bike est sexy as fuck et j’ai hâte de te voir rouler ce monstre.» À voir ce qu’il en a fait, je crois que vous serrez d’accord avec moi qu’il y a fait honneur à ce Hog’s Back. Il aura toujours une place bien spéciale dans mon cœur comme mon vrai premier custom. J’espère que tu en profites en ce moment Mike de ton vélo ! En fait, j’espère surtout que dans sept ans, tu vas enfourcher ce vélo et quand tu le rouleras, comme moi avec mon Roma, tu auras toujours un sourire. Encore une fois Mike ce fut un plaisir, merci! Sam Les pièces de Mike Cadre Prototype Hog's Back 51cm Moyeu avant Shutter Precision Moyeu arrière White Industries XMR Jantes Hplusson Todestrieb Pneus Maxxis Holy Roller 26x2.4po Jeu de direction White Industries EC34 Pédalier Shimano SLX M7000 34d Jeu de pédalier Shimano Deore XT Dérailleur arrière Shimano SLX M7000 Cassette SLX M7000 11-46d Câbles et gaines Yokozuna Freins Paul Klamper Leviers Paul Love Lever Tige de selle Thomson Collet de selle Thomson Potence Thomson Selle Brooks B17 mauve bleuet (édition limitée) Pédales MKS Gamma Guidon Jones H-Bar Loop Lumière Busch+Müller IQ-X 100 Lux Photos par notre pote avec le beau Spec mauve et nouveau papa Jonathan Chhun

Keith's Drop-tourer Hog's Back

Keith is a friend of the shop and briefly worked with us last year, after being part of our social rides almost constantly for ages. He's a great dude and we'll miss him when he moves for school soon. Join us in wishing him good luck and happy rides! (ed.) I’ll start with some nerdy info about the components: this build is a classic mix and match of an assortment of new and used parts taken from older bikes, friends, and strangers on the internet. The drivetrain especially is an eclectic mix, where none of the components match each other. The left and right shifters are from two different sets of Ultegra 10-speed levers, the last of their kind to have external gear cable routing. The left shifter came from some guy’s indoor training bike, so the aluminum is all corroded from his sweat — gross. The rear derailer is a really cool long cage Dura-Ace that a friend gave me (I have good friends) when he was moving between houses. The crank is a mountain XT double with 40-28 chainrings, which is plenty fast for me. The front derailer is a Sora that I found in one of my parts boxes. I like 10-speed stuff because it’s relatively affordable, there are plenty of options in the used market, and it’s much less confusing trying to understand what components are compatible with what. If I didn’t have that cool Dura-Ace derailleur, I would have done my favourite drivetrain trick: using a shimano mountain 9-speed rear derailer with 10-speed road shifters and cassettes. The hubs I got off a free set of Bombtrack stock wheels that I delaced (again, I have good friends) and put on some WTB KOM rims to match the tires. Like many bike-obsessed people, I’m always trying to start a new project and make impulse purchases on parts that I either hold on to for years, or end up selling without ever putting on a bike. Some of my projects have lasted months, while others I ride to this day. For example, just before I built up the Hog’s back, I built up a road bike on impulse. It was cool and fun, but it’s really not the kind of riding I do, so I parted it out a few weeks later to build up the Hog’s Back. Other bikes and components last a very long time for me, and that’s what makes the Hog’s Back extra special. The handlebars are a very old set of Ritchey ergo bars that I had on the bike that I rode across Canada in 2015 and have sat in my parts bin since that trip was over. The seatpost has been on three different bikes, and also took me down part of the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route in 2017. The saddle clamp actually broke in the middle of nowhere in Idaho and I had to hitch a ride to the nearest town to find a replacement. You can see the silver clamp looks a bit out of place compared to the black seatpost, but it lives on! The front Burrito Bag is also something that has been on and off my different bikes since 2015. It’s a crappy generic MEC bag that has some infuriating design flaws, but I’ve had no real need to change it yet. My only regret is not immediately building a dynamo front wheel; I’ve been spoiled by unlimited power on my other bikes. The frame geometry doesn’t immediately make sense to put drop bars on, as it is quite a long frame. However, by sizing down (normally I would ride a 54), using a short mountain bike stem, and my weird body proportions, it fits me perfectly and is a joy to ride. The main motivation for me to build this bike came from two factors: first, I’ve wanted to build up a drop bar bike around those WTB tires ever since they came out, but I never owned a frame that was capable of wide 650B wheels until this one. There’s a big boom in the industry for bikes that work well with big gravel tires, but they’re all very ugly looking and always have something that becomes a deal breaker for me: press-fit bottom brackets, weird proprietary component or hub spacing, ugly oversized headtubes, etc, etc. The Hog’s Back checks all my boxes in terms of frame design, while still having the right clearances for these tires. Set up tubeless, they’re perfect for the type of riding I like to do with my friends (many of them are C&L staff!) Second, I am moving to Boston in the next few months to start my PhD. I’ve made such amazing friends and have such fond memories riding around Québec and Vermont, and I wanted something to commemorate my time in Montréal as well as the cycling community that I’ve been a part of. I always told myself I would buy an old Marinoni road bike, but when Julian came up with the Hog’s Back design, it became the obvious choice for me to bring and explore a new part of the world while still having something to remind myself of my time in this city. I’m hoping before the summer ends, I can take this on a big adventure with all of my friends like I’m used to doing every year. Photos by photo-mensch Jonathan Chhun

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Atlantis Trio

Miyata Flat Bar Conversion

Matt's Heavy Duty 58cm Hog's Back

A Touring Rachel

Étienne's Classic Tourer Hog's Back

Ben's Randonneur-MTB Hog's Back

Hog's Back Mauve de Mike

Keith's Drop-tourer Hog's Back

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