Rivendell Saluki 650B

        Well, there really isn't anything all that special about this bike except it's beautiful paint job and the wonderful riding characteristics inherent to it's design.  Of all of my bikes this is the one with the smoothest ride....I'm not sure why but it's the bike I keep at home to jump on whenever I've got a chance to ride the neighborhood with my Granddaughter.  Our subdivision roads have a lot of little oval depressions in the pavement.  It almost looks like someone took a horseback ride over it before the blacktop had a chance to settle!  Riding with 23's is so choppy that you feel like you are jarring your teeth loose!  The 650B-32 wheel/tire combination is, no doubt, part of this feel. But I also think the overall design and fit of this frame has something to do with this "smooth sensation" too.

        This bike is another that I purchased from Douglas Brooks so I'm sure that some of you out there have seen and possibly taken a ride or two on this one.  I've made a few minor changes but the basics of the build are "Brooks Inspired."  The TA crank set is a 46-36 with 172.5 arms...the black chain rings are a nice contrast to the color of the bike.  The paint job on this frame is a custom burnt orange, not the standard orange that you have seen on some of these in the past and was specified by Douglas at the time of construction of the frame. The only thing missing here is that Douglas didn't get a pump made-up in the same colors, would have been a nice compliment to the frame. 

        Douglas had built-up this bike in a couple of different configurations including one with down tube shifters, which both he and I favor.  But it had nine speed Dura Ace/105 components on it when I purchased it and that set up fits my current use of this bike perfectly.  I could see switching back to down tube shifters someday and perhaps going to a triple if any touring were in store for this bike.  I plan on using this bike in it's current set up for a trip on the Katy Trail sometime in the near future.  The compact double should work out well with the flatness of the trail as will the wheels and tires on the trails crushed limestone surface....not to mention the racks for carry a few small items like rain protection and lunch!  I'm usually not too keen on putting modern-looking components on lugged steel frames and forks but on this bike there are so many different and interesting things going on that all together the parts seem to mix pretty well....shifters, bar tape, fenders, center-pulls, black cages....just a lot of things that I may not have put together before all seem to come together nicely on this one.

Bottle cages to match the chain rings and the brakes!....it's Douglas again!!!

        I like the fonts that Rivendell uses on their frames and these on the Saluki are one my favorites!  This burnt orange paint is a little darker than the orange that Rivendell normally uses on their frames. The paint work was done by Rick at D&D who is considered one of the really talented frame painters, in the JB class. This paint is pretty here in my studio but it really comes into it's own beauty when taken out in the sunlight...it just sparkles like crazy!

        Here is a good shot of the seat post cluster, very detailed and graceful!  Not sure why I've used this Thompson seat post but for some reason I did, probably had it sitting around and was tired of moving it from one end of  the workbench to the other!  But it works great and hold this beautiful Brooks B-17 Champion Special saddle right where I need it, under my rear end.  I had used a Brooks B-18 on this frame when I first got it and it looked great...all of the tooled leather gave sort of a "western look" to the bike....that along with the burnt orange paint sure made some of my University of Texas friends stop and take notice.  Only problem with that saddle was that since it was designed for a woman rider I was rather uncomfortable on it...not embarrassed because it was a ladies saddle but uncomfortable because, lo and behold, there IS a difference in how men and women are built down there!  It ate up the inside part of my sit bone area something awful!  Now the bike sports this B-17 in the perfect color!

        Here is a good shot of the Nitto rear rack and the somewhat rare black Gran-Compe brakes.  Like Douglas, I usually prefer silver bits and parts on my bikes but for some reason the black brakes, black chain rings, and black bottle cages really stand out against the burnt orange paint....almost makes me think about trying out a black seat post and/or black Brooks saddle.

        Nitto front rack, side view of front Gran-Compe brakes, and a good view of fender clearance and head tube lugs. This is the first bike I owned since I was about 10 years old that has fenders or racks!

        The Toshi leather-wrapped Nitto Noodles are GREAT!  The "cush" to this leather bar tape is almost like it has a gel base to it.  I found this stuff by accident when I was shopping at Britton's Bike Shop in San Antonio.  I got it before I purchased the bike from Douglas and was keeping it around for some future project....well, I found the right project as the color is almost a dead-on match to the burnt orange paint.  The Noodles are, I think, 40cm which is a little bit smaller than I normally use but very aesthetically pleasing on this bike, not to mention the comfort factor that comes with the shallow ramps and slight swept-back contour of these bars.

        Fork crown and head tube lower lug work.  The paint quality on the lug cut outs is very nice and the lugs themselves are just o-so pretty!

        Here is a nice close-up view of the Gran-Compe Center-pull front brake unit...these brakes are HUGE and have a great amount of clearance for the fenders and large profile tires.

        Back-to-front view of the rear rack...nice, well-made equipment from Nitto.  I don't usually run SPD pedals on my bikes but I put them on the 2 or 3 that I ride back and forth to work or around the neighborhood as the shoes work better when I have to get off and walk around the shop or the house for a few hours.

        Here is the MOST important thing on this frame....at least according to my Granddaughter!  Can't take it off now that she's seen it...calls this Papa's "Hello Kitty" bike!  Douglas had placed this on the top tube for some reason or another and I nearly died laughing when I saw it on one of his bikes!  Also, the funny looking paint area to the right of the lug window is NOT on the bike itself but was caused by reflected light coming from somewhere in the studio, sorry.