Rivendell Simpleone

Bought this as a web special frameset back in 2014 when someone at Rivendell found it behind a bunch of crates containing hard tack and seal skins. It broke my dick, even at a discount, but I'd wanted a S1 for a couple years and so endured the next three months eating ramen and the corn dogs I stole from an elementary school cafeteria when I found the door open and unattended . Built it up mostly with parts bin stuff but gradually went almost full Gucci (at least Gucci for me). The plan was to do brevets on it, but I only got as far as the second nearest bar. Best bar bike I ever had. Before I got this sexy beast, I had never had a pretty woman come onto me, and that's still the case. But it gets lots of compliments, mostly from late middle-age white guys who look like they play golf but only occasionally and always on someone else's dime, or at least it did before I pulled off the copper fenders in favor of fatter "tyres," as the Brits say. It's stable enough to ride home after a few in the beer garden, carrying still more beer home that you don't need but seem like a good idea at the moment, and without those insanely long chain stays that require a tandem chain that Riv is putting on their bikes now. (Nothing against those; I like 'em). It handled a big porteur load up front nicely, but I've gone with a smaller rack that I think I'll stick with. Someone who is smarter than me said that if you only got one gear, you might as well have a light bike.