At the beginning of the new bicycle “season”, we thought it curious that both Rivendell and Soma were venturing (back) into uncharted waters by offering a traditional mixte frame. These “women’s” bikes were extremely popular in the 1970′s and 1980′s, but quickly went out of vogue with the advent of the mountain bike.

Of course, leave it to these two very different companies to both design great mixte frames. And, coincidentally, make them both available to the market at the exact same time.

Yes, that right … the new Rivendell Betty Foy and the Soma Buena Vista are now available!

The difference between the two frames? Your budget:

• The Buena Vista is meant to be an affordable modern mixte in true Soma form …  ready for the daily commute with style.
• The Betty Foy is a multipurpose lugged steel frame with all of the legendary Rivendell quality and craftsmanship.

So if you haven’t already, follow these simple steps:

1. Check out the two mixte frames.
2. Decide how you want to built-up your mixte to best suit your personal style and needs.
3. Contact us with your requests.
4. Call your friends and tell them about your new bike.

And if you run into any snags along the way, feel free to contact us with your questions, comments, or concerns.

In our age of technology, inspiration and admiration can be found at the touch of the wireless mouse.

Cyclofiend’s Current Classics Gallery is a online repository of reader’s rides that often embody the characteristics of a renaissanced bicycle. These are real vintage lugged steel bikes that are really ridden by real cyclists.

It is refreshing to see the same ideals that we hold close: high quality materials, attention to details, appreciation for craftsmanship, and a reverence for an efficient machine … and that’s just from looking at the Rivendell section of the gallery.

In fact, the main Gallery boasts a diverse cross section of the cyclo-sphere with bikes submitted from all walks of life.  While the photos are arranged in a few different groups, they all have the common theme of owner appreciation.  From working bikes to cyclocross, we constantly find inspiration and fresh ideas from like-minded cyclists.

So if you have a renaissanced bicycle to share with the world, please submit it to the Gallery.  The website provides a few simple guidelines for taking quality photos, and a brief narrative is always appreciated.  Go-ahead … it won’t hurt a bit.

… And if nothing else, the Cyclofiend Current Classics Gallery is a refreshing way to spend a rainy afternoon.

We had the good fortune of leaving the doldrums of the pre-Spring East Coast weather for a little R & R on the Left Coast. Of course, it was a great opportunity to talk shop with the nice folks at Rivendell and American Cyclery.

We were blessed with wonderful weather for the duration, which made using the numerous bike lines / paths / facilities a real joy. After all, San Francisco is arguably the epicenter of American transportation cycling. Based on the involvement and political influence of the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, the bike has as much a presence as the automobile.  It was truly refreshing to be amidst a culture in which the bicycle is an accepted form of transportation.  From the hipsters in The Mission, to the hedge-fund managers of the Financial District, everyone understood the viability of the bicycle as transport.

And what trip to San Fran would be complete without pedaling across the Golden Gate Bridge? Yes, a little touristy, but still a whole lot of fun.  We made about a 30 mile day-trip out of it, and explored everything via bike from the Golden Gate Park, to the Presidio, to the small shops of Sausalito.

We visited American Cyclery and had the pleasure to talk with Bradley Woehl about some of the design influence they have provided to Soma.  We also perused the shop with an eye for some of the latest Soma products, especially those pre-production bikes that previously only existed to us in cyberspace.  It was also refreshing to know that the Renaissance concept is not lost on our West Coast brethern … in fact it made us wonder the potential scope of Renaissance Bicycles if we tranplanted to sunny California.

We also took the opportunity to get our greedy little hands on some of the soon-to-be-available bikes from Rivendell.  John Bennett was kind enough to take some time out of his busy day to let us ride just about every demo bike available.  Plus, he give us the royal tour of the facilities with introductions all around.

As you can tell from the photo, the new Betty Foy is a joy to ride.  Sure, you could say we’re biased, but the Betty Foy, Sam Hillborne, and Bombadil are truly amazing.  Along with quality materials, thoughtful design, and attention to details, Grant Petersen must have used some Magic Pixie Dust to make the rider fall in Love with the first pedal stroke.  You won’t realize had badly you need one till you take it for a ride … and we’ll have the Betty Foys in stock by the end of next week.

Alas, the vacation had to come to an end.  We could have spent another week of riding around the Bay Area, but demands of reality called us home.  Thanks to the people of San Francisco for letting a couple of Country Mice spend some time in the Big City, and thanks again to all of our fine hosts. Ya’ll are welcome in Flat Rock, NC anytime.

One of the most valuable contributions Renaissance Bicycles (or any local bike shop) can provide a community is expertise. We are extending the following invitation to all of you:

Renaissance Bicycles is please to announce our new BYOP (Bring Your Own Parts) Program:

Ready to get your hands dirty working on your own bike, but need a little guidance and support (and maybe a few specialty tools) to complete the job?  Now you can bring your bike / parts / accessories / do-dads with you to the Renaissance Bicycles workshop and get your Work On. Heck, you don’t even need to have a cool vintage bike.

• We’ll give you one-on-one guided instruction regarding anything and everything from chain lubrication to headtube reaming.
• You’ll have access to our professional set of tools.
• You’ll receive genuine hands-on experience.  You will do the work — not look over our shoulder.  As an added bonus, you’ll get lots of grease under your fingernails … free of charge!
• If you need parts, we’ll help make sure everything is kosher and ready for your repair or assembly.

We realize that each customer’s needs and expectations are different.  We also realize that assembling a retro fixie and a full-on touring bike don’t warrant the same investment in time.  So please contact us and we’ll be happy to quote you a reasonable price depending on your needs, materials, and level of expertise.

“What we have to learn to do, we learn by doing.” — Aristotle

If you have read our Velosophy (yes, we stole that term directly from Grant Peterson), you hopefully recognize that we are in the business of doing things a little different:

Defining a niche is a difficult proposition. We spend time trying to define and refine our intentions, without losing sight of personal and professional expectations. Of course, the ironic piece of “redefining” is the balancing act between adhering and rejecting the status quo.  Too similar to the usual results in another “cookie cutter” product; too far from the norm results in a “fringe” item.  In other words, we are trying to use the Goldie Locks Principle and make things Just Right.

We have used the term renaissance to reflect our work because it does remind us of Ye Olde Days. However, if you are familiar with American car culture, you might say we are in the restomod bicycle business. Resto-mod is a colloquial contraction of restoration with a modern twist. The late Boyd Coddington was a pioneer of this HotRod style, and he defined a lot of the Detroit styles we commonly see today.

Our bikes are essentially of the restomod style, which we like to call “renaissance“.  We take the timeless lines and craftsmanship of lugged steel bikes from yester year, and improve their performance and durability with the best modern wheels, drivetrains, and components of today.  Most of our bikes arrive long past their prime, so issues of preservation / collectability are irrelevant.  However, the rebirth of a high quality and truly unique bicycle is very relevant.

Our Renaissancing really consists of the three fundamental services that we provide:

• Renaissancing of bicycles that we acquire to our standards and specifications.
• Renaissancing of bicycles provided by customer to their requirements, specifications, and budget.
• Components, expertise, and support to others who see the potential in their classic bikes.

We are in a unique business, and we feel the unique and personalized bikes that result are worth the salt of our labor.  Sure, your local bike shop has lots of great bikes … but those bike are also available at everybody else’s bike shop.  What we want is something that can stands apart from the rest of the group ride.

So, to summarize … we like unique classic lugged steel bikes that perform as good or better than the latest off-the-shelf bike.  We hope that you do too.