Totoro

If I buy a good Bridgestone frame and build it up with quality components, how will it be different from a Rivendell?

Both were designed by Peterson and built in Japan.

Both are double butted lugged steel.

Any opinions?

sydney

Scroll down to the current bridgestone thread and read about em. Duno how you define 'good' bridgestone,but I have a RB-2 built with supposedly triple butted cromo that wouldn't get used for anything but a beater compared to my 'better' frames. The Rivendell currently cost $2400, and compares very well to my better stuff.

Nightshade

"The Rivendell currently cost $2400, and compares very well to my better stuff."

An elitest view point very well expressed.

Anthony King

I am not sure the Bridgestones are silver-brazed, for one, which would make a difference if the frame ever needed to be repaired. Perhaps someone more knowledgable knows the answer, but I am positive the lower end Bridgestones can't be silver brazed.

I am also unsure if Bridgestones werere made by the Toyo frame shop in Japan that makes Rivendells. Toyo is a small shop from and the quality is far better than most production frames. I don't know what shop in Japan built the high-end Bridgestones.

All that being said, I am the proud owner of a poor man's Atlantis, a 1991 MB-1. My girlfriend has an RB-1.

My opinion is that don't fool yourself into thinking a good Bridgstone is the same as (or very inferior to) a Rivendell and don't pass on the chance to pick up a high-end Bridgestone should it come your way. You can hardly get a better bike for the money.

Nightshade

Yes, Rivendell's are a bit better than Bridgestone's because they are low volumn production pieces
that allow for more attention to detail. A Bridgestone,to me, is as good as a Rivendell for the rest of
us due the fact that you start with a great frame then YOU put that attention to detail in the bike that
others pay Rivendell to do. Such a deal.

late

Hi,
the best Bridgestones, like the RB1 and the XO1 are really sweet bikes. However, time marches on. The Rivendells are 'sweeter' if you will.

I think you might want to make your question a little more specific. Do you have particular Bridgestone in mind?

sydney

That's nonsnse. Nothing unrepariable about brass brazing,and the Bridgestones could have been silver brazed but doing so requires more skill and precise fitting.You also have to understand the difference between a 'Rivendell' and the others made in Japan and marketed by Rivendell with different names on them.

sydney

Thank you. But a ture 'elitist' would not be caught dead anywhere near some of the stuff sydney rides on a regular basis.

Grand Bois

Rivendells are built in the U.S. by Curt Goodrich. The production frames that Rivendell sells are made in Japan by Toyo.

There's an awesome 55cm custom Rivendell frame on eBay right now. It's a touring/cyclocross frame set up for cantilever brakes. With five days to go, it's already up to $420 with 24 bids. If you look at what a Rivendell costs, that's still dirt cheap.

yuyax

If anybody is interested, there is a 1993 RB-1 on Ebay right now. According to the owner, it is all original with less than 1000 miles.

Link -> https://cgi.ebay.com/BRIDGESTONE-RB-1...QQcmdZViewItem

Disclaimer: I am in no way related or have any kind of business relationship with the owner of this bike.

murraylove

Rivendells are highly-evolved versions of the Bridgestone bikes that Grant Petersen designed. There were quite a few things Petersen wanted to do with the Bridgestones that were vetoed by head office in Japan (longer chainstays on the RB-1, for one thing). And Petersen's design ideas have changed substantially since Bridgestone USA shut down. A couple of examples:

-Compared to an RB-1, the Rambouillet (which used to be known as the LongLow) has longer chainstays, lower BB, slacker seat angles, higher head tube, shorter top tube, and greater tire clearances. That's not even considering the beautiful lugs, fork crown and numerous other examples of quality detail work on the bike.

-You could also look at the Atlantis as the descendant of the Bridgestone XO bikes, but the bikes are so different that it would take too long to list all the changes. The Atlantis is, IMO, a far superior all-round bike to the XOs, which had too-short chainstays and too-steep head angles.

-Of course, there are no Bridgestone equivalents to the Saluki and the Glorius/Wilbury, and the custom Rivendells are tailored to your riding style, as long as that fits within the Rivendell design philosophy.

I've owned 3 Bridgestones ('92 RB-1, '92 MB-3, and '93 XO-3), and they're fine, well-designed production bikes, but the construction quality is merely good, not great. Plus, I've broken two XO-3 frames in the same spot each time (base of the seat tube socket in the BB shell). Rivendells and Bridgestones were designed by the same guy, but don't make the mistake of thinking that Rivendells are merely Bridgestones with nicer lugs. There are loads of differences.

Totoro

Thanks for the detailed reply. Very informative.

alanbikehouston

In theory, the quality gap between bikes made by the thousands on a factory assembly line, and bikes made "one by one", by a single individual ought to be significant. In actual experience, the quality of the best "Made in Japan" bikes of around 1980 to 1990 could be amazingly high. The best bikes from Nishiki, Bridgestone, Panasonic (as well as the Schwinns and Centurions made by the top Japanese factories) were very well made.

I have owned around a dozen Japanese bikes from that era, and each was enjoyable to ride. Most had very neat and careful workmanship, and fine paint and finish. (My Japanese Schwinn from that era had the only "less than acceptable" paint and finish, although it is still a nice bike). The 22 pound steel frame Japanese bikes of the 80's with a Shimano 600, Shimano 105, or top-end Sun Tour drivetrain provided about 90% of the "ride" quality of the Pro-level bikes being used in the Tour de France in that period, for about 20% of their mega-buck price.

But, I'd still love to have a Rivendell. A good factory-made "print" of a Picasso painting may LOOK like an original Picasso, but who would not prefer the "original", made by the hands of the artist?

So, when I win the lotto, I'm gonna have a Rivendell.

Sigurdd50

I know a fellow who has a very nicely restored RB-T from early 90's
53CM frame
tricked out for touring

almost went for it but it is just too small
good price and he'll ship
(I have no affiliation)

PM me and I'll pass info