It's kind of embarrassing that I've been riding this bike for a year before posting it into my own Galleries, but hey, it's been a busy year...

During a chance visit to RBWHQ&L for something completely unrelated, Grant took a look my way, set a seatpost and sent me off on the new road bike he'd come up with. I'd been reading about the A. Homer Hilsen in the Rivendell Reader, and quite honestly, wasn't quite sure what it was all about. Well, that short ride left me thinking, "Oh. Ok. I think I see what he's up to."

Big tires and big clearance combined with that Rivendell ride. It wasn't a bicycle I was thinking about, but after that, it was extremely difficult to get out of my mind.

I picked it up later that year, one of the first from the Toyo-built batch, I think. (The ones before that had been Waterford-built, as Toyo didn't have room in their production schedule at that time.) From the start, it's been a great ride for the mixed-terrain rides found in the area of the SF North Bay. I've rigged it for the SF Randonneurs 200K brevet in January of 2008, and more or less kept the same setup for road, trails and general riding.

It's pretty much a stock build - other than the Chris King headset. The Rivendell Silver barend shifters run things in the 9 speed drivetrain pretty well. I did upgrade to the Ultegra rear derailleur, guess I'm a sucker for shiny silver bits. I've added a Mark's Rack to the rear, which works well with the Nigel Smythe and Sons Country Bag.

Two things I really have grown to trust are the Rich Lesnik built wheels and the Jack Brown (Green) tires. The wheels have held up to significant punishment, stayed true and round, and up until I user-errored the dickens out of the rear one coming off an ugly little drop. I'm still running the first set of tires, and their 33 and a Third of roundish goodness gives me an incredible amount of confidence, on road and off.

I'm liking this bike.

- Jim

cyclofiend@cyclofiend.com