Riv goods arrived!
Hey, it’s Kari from Blue Lug Yoyogi Park.
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UK rock band Radiohead have officially announced their first headline shows in Japan in 19 years!!!
What a ridiculously happy surprise to see Japan included on the tour. Before I knew it, I’d applied for tickets without even thinking twice.
I actually got into Radiohead relatively late, considering how long I’d already been into music. Back then I was mostly into straight-up guitar rock, so hearing OK Computer for the first time blew me away.
There’s something so fragile about their music, like it could fall apart at any moment, yet somehow it still feels alive, as if it’s squeezing out every last breath. That sense of being right on the edge is just beautiful.
I remember going to Disk Union to buy their CDs, loading them onto my iPod nano…man, those were good times. I wonder if I still have it somewhere back at my parents’ place. Radiohead were definitely part of my youth.
Since hearing the news, I’ve been diving back into their music again lately, and it’s so emotional that I genuinely get goosebumps.
Did any of you apply for tickets?
…Sorry, I got completely sidetracked here. Moving on to the main topic of the blog.
The hot and humid days still continue, but I feel like autumn is starting to peak its head, especially in the morning and at night. I can’t wait to ride in the autumn breeze!
With cycling season right around the corner, we’ve been getting so many new stuff like always.
And now, a little autumn delivery has arrived from everyone’s favorite Walnut Creek, San Francisco–area crew, Rivendell Bicycle Works, so let’s take a look at what came in!
Might as well kick things off with my personal highlight from this shipment!
*RIVENDELL* david lance goines poster
This piece was created for Rivendell in 2012 by David Lance Goines, a graphic artist and printmaker who was based in Berkeley, California.
pic by New York Times
This gentleman wearing a Judo gi is Mr. Goins. He looks so badass.
They’re by no means exactly alike, but am I the only one who senses a bit of the similar kind of vibe as Grant-san? It makes perfect sense to me that Grant was drawn to his art and wanted to commission something from him.
Apparently, Grant had actually approached him once before during his days at Bridgestone, but the cost just didn’t work out at the time, so the idea had to be dropped back then.
Then, some time after starting Rivendell, Grant reached out to him again. This time, the terms were more favorable than they had been the first time around, and the project finally came together.
The little boy draw in this piece is apparently Milo, the son of Kevin, a former Rivendell employee.
Grant had always liked the way David portrayed children in his work, so he asked him to create something around that theme. When Grant was unsure what kind of scene the piece should depict, David suggested doing a photo shoot first.
Milo was four years old at the time, and they simply let him play around on a bike while taking roughly 200 photos. From all of those shots, one was eventually chosen as the source image for this artwork.
(As a side note, Kevin apparently had a heavily modified Clem back then that he used to carry both his son and cargo. He even joked himself that at that point, it was barely a Rivendell anymore.)
We often see the same kind of scene at Blue Lug shops too, where little kids get curious about the wheels, pedals, and cranks on the bikes in the store, reaching out to touch them and figure out how everything moves.
Looking at this piece, with such a familiar moment captured in it, somehow gives me a warm feeling inside.
David’s work is instantly recognizable for its delicate linework, rich use of color. This particular piece uses an 14 colors!!! and highly decorative typography.
What really stands out is the way he treats lettering itself as part of the artwork, seamlessly integrating type and illustration into a single composition. There’s something incredibly captivating about it, almost as if old-school printed matter and the visual culture of another era have been brought back to life.
He was also extremely particular about how his work was printed. Throughout his life, he remained devoted to old, difficult-to-operate vintage presses, including both hand-operated and mechanical machines, deliberately choosing to work with equipment that required real skill and patience.
Using techniques that could truly be called craftsmanship, he produced posters that were works of art in their own right.
And this part is seriously impressive.
You can watch the whole process in this video.
There must be certain colors, textures, and a whole atmosphere that can only be achieved through this kind of process.
It’s details like this that make the connection between Rivendell and David’s work feel so natural.
We don’t have many of these in stock, so if you’re interested, don’t wait too long.
And yes, I’m definitely buying one for myself.
Moving on to soft goods.
Ball caps are one of Riv’s staple soft goods. For this year, they’ve made an olive green white stitchings and a gold RBW logo embroidered.
They feature neat brass buckles, giving the hat a luxurious vibe. These buckles should make the hat fit on most people.
And…
New bandanas! Let’s take a closer look.
The design depicts Cherubs holding bike parts. Apparently, cherubim rank second from the top in the hierarchy of angels, and are said to praise the glory of God and serve as guardians or gatekeepers of sacred places.
Inside that border are four roses, a winged sheep (Cheviots) and a salmon in the middle, which instantly makes me picture Grant-san heading off somewhere with a fishing rod in hand…
There are also nuts and bolts scattered around like the top of a workbench, and since there are some Old Testament references going on here, there’s even a little apple tucked in there, the one Adam and Eve ate. A nice little detail◎
I bought both colors myself, but when I got home and took another look at the cherubs’ faces, I thought they kinda looked creepy, but it turns out there’s actually a reason for that.
Painters in earlier centuries weren’t exactly great at depicting babies’ faces, so they often painted children with the bodies of infants but the faces of adults. That explains the slightly unsettling vibe.
And since that was the traditional convention at the time, the same style was intentionally carried over into the cherubs on this bandana.
I think…
Perfect for rides, or just everyday use!
Last but not least…
The Monarch Pedal Wings are back in stock. This time in Silver.
The Monarch Pedal Wing is a side-extension piece designed by Rivendell that gives MKS’s Lambda (Grip King) and Gamma (Grip Monarch) pedals a mega upgrade.
The pedals themselves are made by MKS in Japan, while the Monarch Pedal Wing is made in Taiwan.
The Lambda and Gamma are already super comfortable pedals to ride, but when you’re riding a little more seriously, especially off-road, the narrow section shown in the photo doesn’t give you much platform underfoot, which can sometimes feel a bit sketchy.
I’m sure there are plenty of Lambda and Gamma users who’ve thought, “Man, if only THIS PART HERE (pointing the part shown in the image above) was filled in…”
And that’s exactly the little frustration the Monarch Pedal Wing solves.
Rather than saying it dramatically increases grip, I’d say it improves the feel under your foot and gives you a much greater sense of stability. With the larger contact area, you can plant your foot more solidly on the pedal, so whether you’re wearing sneakers or boots, there’s less of that feeling of your foot slipping or dropping off toward the outside◎
Installation is super simple too! All you need is a flathead screwdriver and a 4mm hex key.
First, remove the reflector with a flathead screwdriver, then use a 4mm hex key to remove the bolt hidden underneath.
Then just slide the Monarch Pedal Wing into place and secure it with the 4mm bolt included with the Pedal Wing. That’s it!
Of course, we’d be happy to install them for you at the shop, but if you’ve got a hex key at home, it’s a fun little thing to work om yourself and somehow makes you like your pedals even more.
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Have you seen this post yet?
Looks like one of the perennial favorites, the Clem Smith Jr., is coming back again this year!
The new “Vince’s Blue” colora has me excited and I’m pretty sure many people are too. That said, the Sergio Green Clem has a really understated, grown-up feel to it too. Both are seriously appealing, which makes choosing between them pretty tough.
Another thing worth noting with this batch is the updated size chart.
Up until the previous batch, the Clem came in three fairly broad step-through-specific sizes: 45, 52, and 59. Starting this season, though, there’ll be one additional size, which should make it easier to find a fit that works better for more riders. The addition of a size 50 is especially welcome for us here in Japan.
If you’re wondering, “So which frame size would actually work for me?” and aren’t sure about sizing, please feel free to ask us at the shop.
And while reading through Riv’s latest newsletter, one passage in particular really caught my attention:
“This will be the last batch of Clems in this style. We’re not discontinuing the model. We like the Clem way too much for that. But the next batch won’t look like this, and it’ll be more expensive.”
I’m not sure how different they will become at this moment, but it is confirmed that the next Clems will be lugged.
Anyhow, this will be the last time we will see the Clem in the current style.
We’ll update you on how we will be selling the Clems at Blue Lug soon.
Bye!
Kari
