While cruising the bike Blog-O-Sphere today, discovered a great interview with Grant Petersen of Rivendell fame. Of course as many people know, Grant also headed up the much loved, and now missed, Bridgestone USA. I was a big Bridgestone fan during their heyday, complete with a MB-Zip, RB-1, and MB-3 hanging in the garage as proof.
Most of Grant's Rivendell models I think are great, but not fully up my alley. Well, except maybe the Roadeo, that I could see owning. Super nice bike. I visit the Rivendell website often, have saved all the paper catalogs and Rivendell Readers, and read the current versions online. The Rivendell voice is very different from the mainstream bike culture and always refreshing to hear, even if you don't agree with it all. It's great stuff.
So yeah, I'm a bit of fan and appreciate what they do and contribute to the bike world. I was a BOB member back in the day and remember receiving the first Rivendell items in the mail, thinking how cool it was that Grant was launching his own company. Now 15 or so years later, they're still rolling and doing their own thing. This story goes beyond bikes; its also about starting and running a small company with your own vision on how things should be. And in this quick profit, please the masses world we live in - something to be commended.
You can read the interview here. Enjoy.