RB1-luvr

I see what you and mparker are saying now. And I agree.

JAG410

I read the comparison elsewhere, but Grant is the Ron Paul of cycling. Fits well!

Grant's voice is much different than I had imagined.

Chris Chicago

awesome quote. not sure what you are getting at exactly, but awesome nonetheless

bikingshearer 

I've talked with Grant face-to-face a handful of times. In person, he is at first a tad shy, but warms up to you easily. I agree with some of his thoughts (lugged steel FTW) but do not agree with all of his positions (I will not willingly give up my SPDs). I do buy some gear and parts from Rivendell, but I dopubt I willever get a Riv frame. I do, however, strongly agree with his primary message, which is: get what makes sense to you and/or will make you a happy rider for the long haul, and do not buy anything just because some pro racer (or urban hipster) uses it or just because it is touted as the latest (or oldest) and greatest.

He thinks about bike stuff from both a practical and saleable standpoint. He does not believe that newer is automatically better, and he believes that not everyone needs to look or ride like a EuroPro. When you talk to him, it becomes clear that, while he has a business to run and try to keep profitable, what he really wants is for people to make informed decisions about what they what they want out of cycling and what to get to satisfy that. He seems to feel that, if people do that, Rivendell will get it's share of the pie. (He clearly has no desire to become another Trek or Specialized.)

I've told this story here before, but it bears repeating. I was talking to him one time and mentioned that GP/Rivendell threads on BF tend to devolve into exchanges of "Grant Petersen is God/Grant Petterson is an idiot." He got a slight smile and said that he was fairly certain he was neither.

ebr898

+1 I try avoid seeing people , who I hear on the radio... they never look like what my brain has invisioned.
FWIW it took me a couple of years to figure out : ride to work slowly and not sweat, it saved time because I did not have to shower before work, I save the work out for the ride home.

repechage

Both, and a bit "put upon" publicly at times.

NPR, NPR, Gotta have my NPR.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r63Sou9xU9E

https://www.npr.org/2012/05/02/151867...ikes-to-school

for a more serious view of NPR and bicycle riding.

Chicago Al 

If he's doing a book tour his publisher probably sought out NPR among many other venues. And the 'tote bag' crowd are certainly potential customers for Rivendell. Status and righteousness in one simple purchase!

If Sheldon Brown was as lively in speech as on the page, he would have been GREAT radio. Ever heard 'Car Talk?' Two loudmouth brothers (one with a PhD I think) who run a car repair shop in Cambridge, Mass, Sheldon's home town.

There really should have been 'Bike Talk' with Sheldon and some sidekick, maybe Peterson.

Caller: Hi, first time caller. I've got a big problem with my bike, it's been making a creaking sound and my regular bike shop mechanic says the bottom bracket was actually built out of round!

Sheldon: So...what kind of Peugeot is it?! [guffaws]

ebr898

You asked:
https://sheldonbrown.com/podcasts/

September 29, 2005 Grant Petersen Interview (8.8 MB mp3)

Mos6502

I don't have problem with Peterson's views, I just think his bikes are overpriced.

RobbieTunes

You just went from Colonel to deity.

Excellent. Thanks for that. He was pretty darn rational the whole time.

"Oh no, they aren't lighter, and the aeodynamics don't make a difference. I mean, how much do you hate riding, that your 10 mile ride has to take you 15 seconds less? I mean, what is the whole point? It goes back to people not dignifing riding a bicycle unless it's in high performance terms. And it shouldn't have to be like that. It's that way maybe only in the United States."

If Lance would just say this, I could sell more C&V builds.

FrenchFit 

I love his line that went something like '[after a few years of biking some decide] ...biking shouldn't be fun anymore'. So true. I think Grant is 70% common sense and 30% simply gone nuts from witnessing 40 years of trends and buying decisions people make. It's like telling your neighbors putting 22" rims on their SUV is simply a dumb waste of money, get ready to get flamed & rejected.

cobrabyte

I ride to work in regular clothes (shorts & a t-shirt) and change into other regular clothes when I get to work (slacks & a button up shirt)
I would look silly in a 'kit' on the bikes I commute on

irwin7638

I just read his book yesterday, didn't hear the interview, but I found no surprises in the book. I agree completely with him that most people would be happier, ride more and benefit more from the sport if they rode more comfortable bikes and integrate their use into the daily transportation routine.
That being said, he focuses a lot of time in the book bashing the racing industry and manufacturers for influencing people's purchases. I think his criticism is a bit naive and misdirected. Racers and manufacturers are responding to the market (i.e. customers), it's the American public who lionizes and promotes racers (and athletic performers in general).
Racing has brought lot of people to participate even if their zeal is misguided. Hopefully some of the spandex hamsters will see that it's just plain fun to do all the time rather than once or twice a week with friends. I think that will be the natural evolution of the sport in America.
I recently read on "Copenhagen Chic" that it is instructive to look at the catalogs for Raleigh USA vs. Raleigh Denmark. The USA line is all focused on racing and competition while the Denmark line is all about utilitarian and commuter gear. It's the public's decision.
I think nearly every club rider I know should read the book, maybe the word "fringe" would go away.

Necessary disclaimer: I own one and am waiting delivery of a second Rivendell design, I think they're a bargain....if you can afford it!

Marc

big chainring 

Double quote cause its just so good - "Status and righteousness in one simple purchase!"

Paramount1973 

I have a friend that is a serious roadie and is plugged into the local cycling scene here in Northern Delaware. She is having some trouble wrapping her head around my determination to commute to work by bike. Or the fact that I enjoy making grocery runs on a bike with fenders and a rack. I see three kinds of cyclists around here, kids on miscellaneous bikes that are too small for them, mountain bikers headed for the local trails and adult riders in full team kit clipped into road bikes. In the automobile world that would be analogous to only seeing go-karts, SUVs that were only off-road and dedicated sports cars with no trunks and no back seats.

I visit Portland several times a year and that is the only place I have seen regular people on utility bikes going about their daily business. I listened to the NPR interview with Peterson and he makes a lot of sense.

KonAaron Snake 

NYC, Boston, DC and Philly all have tons of utility bikes. The reason you don't see it in the burbs is because transportation riding is impractical in many areas for many people. Your case is overstated, as is GP's. People buy bikes that accomplish their goals.

Flying Merkel

Good analogy. Grant sounds just like I thought he would. I agree 85% with 85% of what he says.

I'm a Rivendell type rider. My favorite ride is my Univega touring bike, complete with rack & tail bag. Running 27 1/4 tires. I disagree with his views on clipless pedals. I agree on the subject of quill stems. Wish I had the disposable income to buy a Rivendell. Buying a $3000-$4000 bike to commute on is the height of foolishness. I'll keep my Schwinn beater for that.

Mos6502

I'd have to disagree. Stores and manufacturers push expensive racing stuff because it has a good profit margin. It's like how auto makers push SUVs because they have a higher profit margin than econo-cars, even though they're pretty much useless for most people.

A lot of shops simply don't stock much in the way of utilitarian bikes or accessories because they don't want that stuff taking up shelf space from high profit items. They'll take the gamble on hoping they find enough recreational sportsmen with deep pockets, rather than provide items that appeal to a wider audience and foster growth of a new market segment.

Racing is a niche. It always has been, it always will be. But it's a profitable niche. But profitable does not mean it's what most people want by any means. The cycling public is changing, but a lot of shops are still acting like only that niche really matters.

oldskoolwrench

GP's stance has been the same one for the last twenty-five years; you can see the roots of his philosophy in every '89-'96 Bridgestone
bicycle he spec'd out. At a time when Shimano was pushing RF+ and STI, he was stalwart in his concept of 'making the bike easier to use'...
hence thumb shifters and bar ends. It was only then, when under pressure by his bosses in Japan, that GP spec'd RF+ and STI on B-Stone bikes.

Personally, I believe in his philosophy; make the bike more comfortable, easier to ride, and simpler to operate. About more Americans using bikes for
utility, commuting and regular transportation... it won't happen until us Americans as a whole drop this 'stigma' about a bike either being a piece
of sporting goods equipment like a baseball glove or pair of skis, or else a toy that's bought at Wally World just like buying a video game
or a Sponge Bob wading pool.

Like Marc mentioned... just look at a bike manufacturer's Product Catalog from another country. He mentions Raleigh; I'd also suggest a company like
Miyata, whose bicycle production for other markets like Asia, Europe and Japan is just staggering!

Paramount1973 

Don't presume what you actually don't know. I live in an area with quiet suburban streets and the main road has a dedicated bike lane with a grassy median separating it from auto traffic for several miles. The road, and bike lanes, join two busy shopping centers. A utility bike is quite practical here and in several areas I traverse on my way across the county to my job. Road bikes, kids on bikes, mountain bikes on the way to the trails. That's pretty much it. Even the few hybrid bikes I see around here lack racks or any way to carry groceries. Yes, people buy bikes to accomplish their goals. Sport or exercise, but except for a few oases in this car-crazy country, not the simple pleasure of riding a bike instead of using an automobile. What GP said in that NPR interview resonates with me.

sonatageek

I agree with his, 'Wear normal clothes' if the distance is not that far. On days that I ride in and back from work, the morning is a miles to the bus, exit downtown and then another 5-6 miles to campus. I do that in my business casual clothes. The full ride home (20 miles) is in my bike shorts and jersey.

Full disclosure -- I have a Bridgestone X0-2 sitting in the basement.

KonAaron Snake 

Bar shifters and thumb shifters are easier to use than STI?

People buy STI/ergos because they're easier to use and more efficient. If you want to say they're ugly, fine...want to say they're less durable, ok...but calling them harder to use is ridiculous.

People aren't stupid and they aren't sheep blindly led by bike shops. They buy STI because it works better.

ebr898

STI is different, than this but regarding "sheeple" .... I remember bike shops pushing grip shift , and I do not have a good opinion of gripshift.

753proguy

Agreed. That's a pretty darn good summary of GP. Just a little bit kooky and cultish around the edges, but aren't we all, that are in this niche anyways, in one way or another?

Where I immediately tune him out is when he tries to sell more of his products by telling you that what other people are trying to sell to you is dangerous stuff. Not kosher to do your marketing that way, imho.

753proguy

Hey, leave Miesha out of this!