Liz's Purple Platypus
Open images in a new tab to embiggen Rivendells have been extra-popular this year! During their recent pre-order campaign before the Platypus frames arrived, a lot of people tried to get one, but they sold out within minutes. Liz was one of the disappointed hopefuls, but happily she reached out to us for one of the only remaining 50cm Purple Platypuses in North-America, and we were able to build her a dreamy bike. Liz isn't new to Rivendells: she's been riding a Toyo-built Atlantis these last twenty years and it's had some serious mileage. At a certain point, though, some enhancements in comfort and elegance make it worth changing over. This build also has many more affordances for everyday convenience, such as the basket-rack combo and the dynamo lighting. Among the spec was a build close to a typical current RBW and Blue Lug bike in terms of practicality and looks, respectively. Purple was the watchword on this project, with cotton tape finished with twine and coated in shellac as a signature look. The bike wouldn't have to be easily packable and haul massive touring loads for bike trips, but it would need to be able to carry things on day-trips and errands. Riding would be on roads, but super hilly ones. And, in Liz's words, "I sometimes consider a dynamo light system. It’s such a pain to get all the lights charged and hooked up". You're right about that one, Liz. Read on for the gorgeous-looking result! For the hills, everyone agreed: a triple gets you up and down anything you'll want to climb. Our Bassi Triple Classic has a no-nonsense 46/34/24-tooth range (chosen to be compatible with basically everything). Using it with an 11-34t 8-speed Microshift cassette maxes out the derailer's capacity - that old favourite, the Shimano RD-M310. By the way, I think Liz's was the very last we'll ever have in silver, none of the local Shimano resellers have been able to get them for us this year, and you can forget about Shimano N.A. themselves. Why they don't want to make it anymore is baffling but that's the world we live in. Write your member of parliament or congressperson about it, I guess. The purple Newbaum's cotton tape on the chainstay protects the thin steel tube from chain-slap. It's lightly shellacked for longevity and some UV protection. Rivendell's new Silver hubs are simply excellent. Worth the price given how tricky it is to find silver rim-brake 135mm hubs these days, they of course include an internal-cam QR skewer, and the spacer so you can use an 8-speed cassette on the long 11-speed body. You wouldn't think the type of QR skewer is worth mentioning but this kind's surprisingly rare for non-Shimano hubs. The rims are our SunRinglé CR18 Polished 650B: a rim that goes with almost everything and leaves room in the budget for other niceties. The front hub is a Shimano Alfine, an easy choice in affordable but long-lasting dynamo hubs. Along with that drivetrain we've got the Silver2 friction shifters on thumbie mounts. Even people who've never shifted friction are impressed with them if they've got an open mind and a couple of kilometers to get used to them! Since friction shifters don't care about the housing's stiffness, we could use the same clear brake housing for the brakes and shifters. The Shimano DXR V-brakes were a little upgrade from the simple Tektros we spec by default, and they are indeed a little nicer to set up. The matching levers are really comfortable and have reach adjustment for smaller hands or setting them up on a swept-back handlebar like this Choco on a Tallux stem. An all-Nitto cockpit is really the last word in subtly gorgeous parts that work great together. Above, you can see the effect of shellacked Newbaum's finished with twine. This was about eight layers and some smoothing halfway - the cotton absorbs a lot of shellac for the first few layers. Future touch-ups won't use much product though, and will let the handlebars show plenty of honest beausage. Here we've reached the most complicated-looking bit of the bike, with a rack, dynamo light, basket, and fenders all connected in the same 10cm area. Let's go through them: 1. Front dynamo: Busch+Müller's IQ-X is their flagship light. The lens design doesn't waste any power on illuminating things you don't need, only the road in front of you and further along, and it won't blind anyone on the road when set up right. That's the beauty of beam-shaping lenses.2. Front rack: Made here in Montréal by Éliane, Ronny, and Aube at Memento Cycles from stainless steel tubing. These bike builders and designers weld their fantastic racks in-house, informed by their impressive history as bike messengers and cyclotourists. The Ant Rack is their extra-small just-as-strong model and is the right one to pair with a Wald 137 basket. Voilé straps connect the two securely, but you can use zip-ties if you prefer. 3. Connecting the light to the rack can be tricky but it becomes easy and clear with the Blue Lug-designed, Nitto-produced Lamp Holder Mod.7. It's deceptively simple and subtly perfect, and I frankly never want to install another light without one. They make it out of rack struts, it's my favourite new product of 2024. 4. The rear light is powered by the front, as are all modern dynamo lights. The cable runs along the rack, then jumps to the shift cable which it follows down the frame. A twist added to the electrical cable with a heat gun gives some slack, to allow the fork to turn, while allowing for some tension relief and keeping everything in place with small zip-ties. The Herrmans H-Trace Mini, made in Finland, mounts to the seatstay or, as in this case, to the rear fender. It's a small but cleverly made light! This particular setup needs a lot of cable on a long bike such as the Platypus, since it goes inside the fender right by the bottom bracket and reaches all the way to the light on the rear. The cable's nicely hidden and tucked away from anything that could damage it, though. 5. It had to be Honjo fenders, didn't it? Liz wanted them lightweight so we suggested Honjo, she went further and wanted the hammered version, probably a good choice since they won't show the inevitable bumps and dings of everyday riding the way smooth ones would. There are already a few extra dimples smacked into them by yours truly to make them fit perfectly, but they're impossible to photograph: they just get lost in the hammered surface. Having the fenders fall naturally into following the curve of the wheel radius they were made for means that they'll last as long as possible: they aren't being forced into a different shape and therefore aren't under stresses which could weaken the metal prematurely. That's the practical reason for an even and smooth fender line: the æsthetic reason should be self-evident. As a special finish, we added a surprise Liz didn't specifically request but which was oh-so-right: as we were finishing the bike, our friend Peter was sewing us a batch of his Famous Fender Flaps and made an extra purple rear one just for Liz. Anyone riding behind her on wet roads will be thankful not to get a spray of water to the face! Happy riding Liz, and thanks so much for trusting us to build you this beauty. Photos and bartape by Simon
Jamie's Claud Butler rebuild
Jamie brought us this bike for a swap from drops to an upright handlebar. It's a common conversion for us, but we also loved the backstory about and the end result! Here's what Jamie had to say: It was my dad’s bike that he rode from Birmingham to Rome and back in 1992. Before that, he’d done several long tours through France and Spain, but this was his last big trip before I was born the following year. The bike had been sitting in the shed ever since, and I’ve wanted to fix it up for years. For the restoration, my main priority was comfort for riding around Montreal, which is why I opted for swept-back handlebars. I did consider keeping the drop bars for the sake of preserving the original look, but I’ve never liked drops so it didn’t make sense for me. Overall, my philosophy was to do the bike justice—choosing quality components where needed while keeping as much of the original as possible. I was adamant about keeping the old seat even though it’s a bit tattered. When I eventually go on a longer tour, I like the idea of sitting on the same seat my dad used all those years ago. Photos by Troy
Johan's 58cm Hog's Back
We've known Johan for quite some time. In fact, he's the graphic designer we entrusted to come up with our Rachel's look about 8 years ago already. We were stoked to build him his very own Hog's Back, and love how it turned out! This build is a prime example of the kind of upgrades we believe in. We think money is almost always best spent on contact points: saddle, grips / handlebar, pedals and tires. Fine-tuning these elements usually make a bigger difference in how you experience your ride than, say, a fancy rear derailleur. In this case, we're talkin': Brooks Cambium C17, Orange ESI Chunky silicone grips, wrapped à la Rivendell with Newbaum's Orange and Burnt Orange cotton tape, finished off with hemp twine Velo Orange Klunker bars, Nickel Sim Works by MKS Bubbly Standard Silver pedals, Sim Works by Panaracer Super Yummy 27.5x2.22", Peanut Butter sidewalls Let's take a look: Photos by Troy
Chris' 52cm Le Montréal
Here's a classic build we shipped to New Brunswick recently. It's kind of a "premium" remix of the stock Montreal Randonneuse build featuring lots of tasteful upgrades. Let's break it down! Wheels and tiresHere we have Velocity A23 rims in silver laced to Origin8 sealed bearing hubs (which are currently on clearout, BTW). Those dynamic pneumatics are Ultradynamico Rosé tires of the JFF variety, in 650x48B, for comfort and grip over mixed-terrain and more care-free enjoyment than their more delicate Race siblings. DrivetrainPractically identical to the stock build, save for the smooth Dia-Compe bar-end shifters and a 10-speed cassette instead of the standard 9. Blue Lug Brass Crank Caps adorn our Classic Compact Double, a nice touch! BrakesTRP RRL brake levers provide stunning silver drillium looks, but more importantly supremely comfortable ergonomics when on the hoods or in the drops. They're connected to highly adjustable and very powerful Dia-Compe CR-X cantilevers. Cockpit / contact pointsUp front, Chris opted for a Nitto Technomic stem and a Nitto Noodle handlebar. The Noodle is a perfect all-around drop bar for versatile bikes such as the Montreal. It's wrapped in Gilles Berthoud brown leather bartape, to match the Gilles Berthoud Aspin saddle of course! MKS Bear Trap pedals provide nice wide platforms for all day riding. Topping off the build is a Blue Lug Koma USB-rechargeable rear light. Photos by Emiliano
Adam’s Bianchi Boardwalk
While not a bike we assembled, Adam submitted the story behind and photos of his Bianchi Boardwalk because he sourced so many parts from our web store. We're thrilled to be able to support cyclists around Canada and abroad with parts for projects like this, and we think this one fits our build vibe just right and turned out great! This bike has been with me for a little over 5 years now, though the only things it has in common with the bike I rode home that first day are the frame and seatpost. Year after year, it’s been the subject of never-ending tinkering and part swapping. I’ve done my best to avoid filling my apartment with bikes, and as a result this Bianchi has had to take on a lot of roles. From weekly farmers’ market pick-ups and party-pace cruises to get ice cream, to long days on rolling back roads of Nova Scotia and overnight bikepacking trips, this Bianchi is down for it all. While I hesitate to ever call a bike ‘finished,’ there isn’t much that this bike leaves me wanting (except maybe a dynamo light setup…). Without further ado, let’s dive into this bike: Wheels Velocity A23 rims laced to Velo Orange hubs, wrapped with Ultradynamico Cavas. If you squint your eyes, this wheelset looks pretty similar to what the Boardwalk came with stock – 700x38 tanwalls and all-silver wheels. Where they differ is the sealed cartridge bearings, supple sidewalls, and the flat-free convenience & comfort of tubeless. The Cavas are particularly nice for rides that start on asphalt and end up on gravel. Drivetrain New Albion Crankset: Nothing really flashy here, this crankset is made from the same mold as the Sugino XD2 according to Rivendell. Brass self-extracting dust caps play nicely with the brass bell up top. 46-34 chainrings give about as much range as I could ever need on this bike. MKS Pedals: These are some nifty hybrid pedals that take a TIME ATAC cleat. The self-cleaning interface is nice for muddy or snowy rides. These pedals also always ‘hang’ the same way, so knowing which way to flip them for flats or clips becomes second nature. Shimano parts-bin front derailleur: One of the last original parts was an Alivio 3x front derailleur, which I could make to work, but was never quite right. It also always interfered with the rear fender. No such drama from this 105 derailleur. Shimano RD M786 rear derailleur: Probably the most modern-looking thing on this whole bike. It’s a 10-speed mountain derailleur on a hanger extender, shifting an 11-speed, 11-42 cassette. Thanks to friction, it works – no muss, no fuss. The clutch is a nice-to-have feature that keeps things a little quieter and leaves a few less chips in my chainstays. Rivendell Silver Shifters + Gevenalle Audax Pods: These shift levers were one of the first things I updated on this bike, and they’re still here today. Though they’re stated to be compatible with 8, 9 or 10 speeds, the Gevenalle mount allows them to have a little more ‘throw’ than they normally get in a bar-end. Infinite compatibility and simplicity make them a delight to ride with – free yourself from the tyranny of groupsets and indexing! Braking Tektro CR-720 Cantilevers: I think these have been unfortunately discontinued, which is a shame (Truly - C&L). If they ever need to go, Dia Compe has me covered (Long Live Dia-Compe! - C&L). Tektro RD-340 Levers: Most of Gevenalle’s brake/shift combos are based on these levers from Tektro. They’re more suited to modern bars than vintage aero levers, with a bit more of a platform for your hands. Hangers: Nitto front and rear – elegant, sensible, functional. Cockpit Nitto FW-33 stem: 4-bolt faceplate makes for great holding power on rides where I’m decidedly under-biked. As the Boardwalk has a pretty short head tube, I actually had the stem cut down to get the right fit. Nitto Dirt Drop RM013 handlebar: A little more flare than the randonneur models, and a little closer to ‘modern’ compact bar shape. When positioned correctly, the ‘HEAT TREATED’ sticker will advise the rider to ‘EAT TREAT.’ Crane ENE Bell: A lovely, polite ding that sits comfortably on the bars & doesn’t get in the way of anything strapped to the bars. Brooks C15 Carved Saddle: I rode with a C17 for a while, but ultimately found it a little wide for how ‘forward’ my position on the bike was. Someday I might give one of the leather models a go, but the durability and ambivalence to water makes the Cambium line very easy to live with. Original seatpost, 26.6mm: Probably a Kalloy. Thankfully haven’t really had a need to replace this, since 26.6mm seatposts are few and far between (Thompson has one, but only in black). Fenders & Rack Velo Orange Hammered Fenders, 45mm: Great coverage and having most of the holes pre-drilled made installation relatively straightforward. There have been a few adjustments over time to dial the fit in, but they’re rock-solid and quiet. Dents and scrapes blend into the hammered finish as well – a nice bonus for a bike that spends as much time in the city as the country. Nitto M12 Rack: A great size for carrying a dry bag, supporting a handlebar bag, or strapping a tin of baked goods to. Also provides a bonus fender mount for a little extra security for full-coverage fenders, as well as threaded mounts for lights. Odds & Ends King Cage bottle cages: Great hold, good looks. Friendship Bracelet: for good vibes Though the tires that came spec’d on the Boardwalk were 38s, I’ve had the chainstays dimpled to more comfortably clear a tire, fender, and any mud that might show up. That’s it! I love that this bike has become a mix of old looks, and new functionality.
Tony's Hog's Back
Tony bought this demo Hog's Back last Winter and instead of having it shipped to his home in California, he decided to make a trip out of it and pick up his new bike in person! All it needed was a front rack and basket, and a slightly shorter stem. A testament to Troy and Luc-Antoine's powerful build curation skills. Photos by Troy
A bikepack Hog's Back
This Hog's Back is ready for all sorts of off-road exploration! The Tumbleweed front rack, Widefoot cargo cages and Tubus rear rack provides plenty of hauling capabilities for long stretches away from home. Photos by Troy
Van's Rachel
Van's had a couple bikes built by us, each one more tasteful than the last. His brand new brown Rachel, that he realized he needed after he couldn't stop borrowing his partner's blue one, is a nice mix of parts pulled off his BMX-y Hog and some new bits, all in keeping with the comfy, good looking, and practical vibes. Here's what Van has to say about it: Here's my everyday plus bike built with comfort and utility in mind. Being able to size up without standover issues is a game changer for me. But I never anticipated how at home I'd feel on a bike that's two whole sizes up (thanks Julian!). The combo of up sized frame & wheels is a totally different vibe for me. With 2.0 tires it feels like I'm rolling on a big cushy rover. The versatility is so fun; it rips! The sturdy Obento/basket is so practical and feels right at home with the vibe and the Shutter Precision dynamo and IQ-XS light add even more utility without being too over the top. The cockpit came together pretty naturally; 100% satisfied with my Bubbly pedals and B17 which I carried over from my last build. And quill stem meant I finally had a bike that could work with the comfy KT Bar! I had invested in some fancier White Industries and Paul parts that I knew I'd love for the rest of my life and I couldn't wait to see them on this Rachel. I love the way this build came together. It feels like a serious bike that's just a little more practical and down to earth. I feel just as comfortable on long rides and the occasional mini tour as I do going for groceries and hauling my toddler to the pool. Build Spec Bassi Rachel Frame, 55cm, Fondue FSA Duron Headset White Industries G30 Crankset Velocity Atlas Rims Shimano Tiagra Rear Hub Shutter Precision Front Hub Continental Race King Tires, 29x2.0" SRAM Apex Drivetrain Paul Love Levers Shimano T610 V-Brakes Nitto Technomic Stem Crumbworks x Nitto KT Bar ODI BMX Grips Sim Works Froggy Seatpost Brooks B17 Saddle B&M IQ-XS Light Paul Skewers Widefoot Litercage Sim Works Obento Rack Wald 137 Basket Sim Works Bubbly Pedals Photos by Troy
An IGH Neutrino!
It seems like Mini Velos might be the next big thing, and we're here for it! Velo Orange hopped on the trend early with their Neutrino already being at its third reissue. Let's take a look at this lil' guy: This build was well-planned by its rider, with C&L providing finishing expertise for the drivetrain and wheels. A Neutrino is a great platform for an internally-geared hub (IGH), with an easy cable run and adjustable sliding dropouts making it a smooth setup. This is a Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub, which gives a gear range of over 300%. The only tricky part for a 20-inch wheeled minivelo is getting a large enough chainring to get good high gears, but that's when you get to break out the normally-overgeared cool road bike parts, in this case a SRAM Rival crankset. Best of all it, matches the superb mechanical BB7-S disc brakes to make a pretty stylish bike which'll ride like a dream. Photos by Troy
A green Clem!
Another day, another Clem! This one is featuring a wide 3x transmission, solid handbuilt wheels and rarely seen canti brakes. Photos by Troy
An orange Clem!
Clems are always a joy to build - everything just comes together so nicely every time! The wide clearances, tons of braze-ons, upright position and wonderfully low top tube make it an excellent choice for running errands around town. Despite it being the least ornate @rivbike, its good looks will never go out of style! Photos by Troy
Eric's Purple Plat
Some of you may know Sam M., our most enthusiastic front of house team member, huge Rivendell fanboy, heavy machinery mechanic-to-be, and proud Platypus owner. Some of you may have heard him talk Riv, and if that's the case I'm sure you can imagine how much intention, thoughtfulness, and care went into speccing this build for Eric. This one has all our favourites and friends featured on one two-wheel'd chassis. From Sim Works, with their fast-but-grabby Super Yummy tires, to Nitto, with their supremely comfy Albatross handlebar, Campee rack, and Technomic stem, along with seating arrangements made in France by Gilles Berthoud and Deutsche lighting courtesy of SON Nabendynamo. Eric'll be able to charge his devices with Sinewave's Revolution USB wired up to his dynamo hub, and schlep snacks in the now-classic Wald 137 basket. Then there's the frame! Billed (pun intended) as Riv's most popular, most versatile frame, the Platypus also exudes good looks and has what might be the greatest headbadge of all time. Plus, a portion of sales is donated to the Australian Platypus Conservancy! The swoopy step-through design, sporty geometry, and wide tire clearance make it infinately capable and comfortable. Photos by @killiski
April's Secondhand Le Montréal
We really enjoy tinkering with and modifying bikes here at C&L. Our personal bikes are rarely the same from one year to the next, and we're happy when someone asks us to help out with making their more theirs. We do all sorts of bikes but it's extra heartwarming when it's someone's older Bassi. April bought this Montréal V1 in 52cm last year, secondhand. The original owner had set it up with great parts, but they didn't suit all of April's ambitions, so after a year of riding the bike and letting ideas mature, she came to us to make it more comfortable, and more appropriate for longer touring rides. When she first picked it up from its previous owner last year, she added a rear rack for touring panniers, a light-duty front rack, a comfy Brooks B17 'S' saddle, and a good and tall Nitto Technomic stem, along with replacing the original tires with cushy and reliable Panaracer Paselas. This year was the serious work: her new Nitto Albatross handlebar is as comfortable as it gets for upright cycling over long distances and in the city, with lots of hand positions that still make it easy to look around. With that came the tasteful choice of Tarugata grips and Newmbaums bar tape, in complementary shades of teal. She also added a Wald 137 basket to her front rack, held on with Voilé straps so it's easy to remove if needed. For riding in all weather, a practical consideration in Montréal, we installed Velo Orange fenders. These 700x45 are the widest that will fit in this generation of Montréal frames, and we weren't sure ahead of time if it would do it! Finally, as part of the general much-needed overhaul of the bike, we changed the 8-speed drivetrain to a 9-speed, and replaced the old road double crank with its 50/39-tooth gearing (too high a gear for anything but a road bike, honestly) for the extremely reasonably geared 46/34t Bassi Classic compact. The bike's now ready for long summer days in the country rolling toward a camping spot, as well as for moving its rider in comfort and style all around town.
Ben's Schwinn Voyager
Way back when, before the days of Bassi, Rivendell, Soma, Tanglefoot, and other shiny frames we build up these days, C&L and its predecessor Vélo Villeneuve specialized in putting together bikes with used, pre-loved, or vintage frames. We still get the opportunity to do so these days, and they always end up being special projects with sentimental value. That was very much the case for Ben, who had a very clear direction with a Schwinn Voyageur frame he’d been hunting down for years and finally got his hands on in his size. A deep dive Bike Forums user’s build was used as the starting point and inspiration. The frame was clean, but Ben needed some eyelets added for a front rack that’d meet his needs. A framebuilder in Portland, Oregon, Mark Gugielmana took care of those, and made him a beautiful custom rack to boot! We then had the fork powdercoated as close as possible to the frame, and the result is a stunning and unique front end. A build of this class needed all the right bits to hearken its 80s rando greatness. We set Ben up with non-aero drillium levers from Dia-Compe, friction micro-ratchet bar-end shifting courtesy of Rivendell’s Suntour-via-Dia-Compe Silver2 project, a wide range of gearing using their crankset and nearly new-old-stock Shimano Deore derailleurs, a powerful polished silver dynamo headlight, the B&M IQ-XS, cotton bartape, and Honjo aluminium fenders. We’re thrilled with the result, and we think Ben is too! This frame is 37 years old, and with this thoughtful rebuild we expect it to carry on for at least another 37 more! Build Spec 1987 Schwinn Voyageur Frame & Fork, Emerald Green, 25” Tange Levin Headset, Steel IRD Tenacity Bottom Bracket Rivendell Silver Triple Crank Wipperman 808 Chain NOS Shimano 600 Rear Hub Shutter Precision Front Hub H Plus Son TB14 Rims Rene Herse Bon Jon Pass Tires Dia-Compe DC202H Brake Levers Dia-Compe 980EX Cantilever Brakes Rivendell Silver2 Shifters mounted to Bar-End Pods NOS Shimano Deore Derailers Nitto Grand Rando Handlebar Nitto Technomic Stem Newbaum’s Cushioned Cotton Bartape Brooks B17 Special Saddle Honjo H1 Fenders Nitto x Rivendell 33R Big Back Rack B&M IQ-XS Headlight Photos by Troy Biliski
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
Lilah's Beautiful Rachel
Ever since I took a spin on a borrowed single speed Rachel about four years ago, from the dark blue/mustard yellow batch, I was enamoured. My old Specialized Hardrock was starting to make squeaks, creaks and cracks that were becoming difficult to stand, and the Rachel seemed like a perfect candidate for a do-it-all replacement - but the colour had to be just right. When Julian was flipping through the paint sample catalogue for inspiration, I took a chance and casually pointed out two or three I liked. Three months later, the pearlescent blue with sparkly green highlights landed and I wasn’t disappointed. For the build, the most difficult choice was between the similar but different Rivendell Wavy and Sim Works Getaround. Once I finally decided on the Wavy (thanks Sam!), the rest came naturally. I knew what I wanted: a lightweight and fun bike, mostly silver parts with a spattering of black here and there, a dynamo setup because I always forget to charge my lights, a lil’ basket for an eventual lil’ doggo on a very solid Memento Ant rack, and Soma Shikoro tires inspired by JD’s lovely yellow Rachel, as wide as possible while keeping space for fenders. Unable to choose between black and silver fenders, I opted for the wet streak up my back (still taking votes for black vs. silver). To top it off, I chose a bell based on its sound, the cutesy matte gold Crane E-NE, and the Tarugata grips, one of my favourite parts on the bike. Since it’s been captured by Troy, I’ve also added a Velo Orange Retro Cage and a basket bag from friend Gurp. After a few months of riding, I can without a doubt call it my ideal bike. The only downside is that everyone around you will want one and you’ll end up in a sea of beautiful Rachels (Julian since copycatted and got a brown one). Build Breakdown: Rachel frameset, Monet, 55cm Bassi double crankset silver Nitto Wavie handlebar Taraguta creme rubber grips Rivendell thumbies shift levers Velo Orange Grand Cru brake levers silver Brooks B17 short saddle Memento fourmi front rack Soma shikoro 700 x 42C tires Shutter Precision PD-8 silver Dynamo Hub CR18 Polished 700C Rims MKS XC-III Bear Trap pedals silver Photos by Troy