Rivendell is holding an auction for a one-off, Waterford-made Sam Hillborne with a special fork and paint job. From the Rivendell website:

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Even More Information (+photos) →

Linus Gaston

Linus Dover

A friend dropped me a note pointing out that the new-for-2011 Linus Gaston and Dover are now posted on the Linus website. Both are available with either a convertible SS/fixed or 5-speed Sturmey Archer drivetrain.

Linus →

We recently reviewed the Raleigh Detour Deluxe commuting bike. Since then, I’ve received a number of inquiries regarding which panniers might be a good fit for the Detour’s unusual, integrated rear rack. I have at least 4 panniers here that work well, including the Arkel Briefcase, the Ortlieb Downtown, the Rixen & Kaul Cargo, and the Arkel Shopper. The Arkel Briefcase and Ortlieb Downtown are full-featured commuter briefcases, while the Rixen & Kaul Cargo and Arkel Shopper are grocery-style panniers. They all fit the rack equally well. What they have in common, and what makes them compatible with this rack, are locking attachments that don’t depend upon a hook and bungee cord to hold them in place.

The design of this rack is such that a rack trunk won’t fit. For those who are accustomed to using a rack trunk, a large seat bag like the Banjo Brothers Waterproof Saddle Trunk is a possible solution (see photos). This bag holds 400 cu. inches and collapses down when empty. It’s a popular bag for use on bikes that don’t have a rear rack and it would serve well as a rack trunk replacement on the Detour Deluxe.

We’ve been promising a friend that we’d take him on a day tour of the trails and backroads around our area, but conflicting schedules and bad weather have been conspiring against us for months. Everything finally fell into place today and we spent the afternoon exploring our extended backyard while working lunch and a coffee break into the mix. It was an awesome time that could only be experienced among good friends on bikes. If you’ve never done a local day tour with friends, you might give it a try sometime. It’s a great way to visit while learning more about the area in which you live; all without getting in a car!

After first seeing it in the Bridgestone catalog in 1992, I admired the Moustache handlebar from afar for many years while only occasionally having a chance to try it on borrowed bikes. It wasn’t until purchasing my Rivendell Sam Hillborne in September of 2009 that I had an opportunity to give it a try over a sustained period. I’ve been riding it at least a few days a week since then, and over that time it’s become one of my favorite handlebars for city riding and day trips.

I see the Moustache as a cross between a flat bar, a North Road, and a drop. The brake position closely mimics the powerful, easy-to-reach, flat bar brake position; the bar ends provide a hand position not unlike a North Road or Albatross bar; and the forward position in the bends provides a powerful, secure feeling similar to riding in the drops.

Setting up a Moustache bar is a little tricky. On many bikes, simply bolting one onto an existing stem will place the bar too far forward and too low. The key to making the Moustache comfortable is a stem with less reach and more rise that brings the bar closer to the rider. On bikes with threaded headsets, the Nitto Dirt Drop is a perfect match for the Moustache (see photo above).

The Moustache bar is not without its limitations. While it does provide multiple hand positions, it’s missing the drop bar’s all-important top/ramp/hood positions that are so useful for long distance riding. It’s because of this limitation that I classify the Moustache along with the North Road and its variants as a city or short-distance touring bar. Certainly, up to a day trip is no issue with the Moustache, but personally I’d opt for a drop bar if I was setting up a bike for an extended tour.

The Nitto Moustache was designed by Grant Petersen when he was with Bridgestone. That bar is still available today through Rivendell. Originally there were 2 versions; one for road levers and tape, the other for MTB levers and grips. Today Riv only sells the road lever version, but just recently Soma introduced an MTB/grip version. They look similar in photos, but I don’t know for sure if the bends are the same on these two bars. I may pick up the Soma bar and try it out on my LHT just to see how it differs from the Riv/Nitto version. I’ll let you know how it goes.

Rivendell/Nitto Moustache →
Soma Moustache →

Some new builds were recently posted to the A.N.T. Flickr photostream. The pre-NAHBS bikes are absolutely stunning.

A.N.T. Flickr Site →