velology

Sorry. Just figured out the gallery! Will try to see if I can figure that out and get pictures to you all. Cheers!

velology

Hi Again,

I tried to post a gallery titles "Mystery RIH" but I'm not sure if it worked. I think I might have misunderstood the function of the gallery. Apologies if my fumbling is upsetting any rules.

Cheers,

Velology

fabiofarelli

It has a Cové decal? That's new for me.
Does it look a bit like this one?

non-fixie 

Found these in the Gallery. Assuming these are yours, velology , but I see no user name attached, so let me know if I'm wrong.

non-fixie 

That is a mid-seventies Cové-built RIH. One of the early ones. A touring model that would evolve into the "Speciaal" model a few years later. I found another one on the web, a 1974 model according to the seller. Check it out: RIH Amsterdam 1974.

This picture is borrowed from that site:

velology

Hi Non-fixe,

Thanks so much for your help on this. I would have said something before but I'd reached my 24-hour posting quota. Yes, the gallery you point out was posted by me. I couldn't discern an obvious step to attach my username to it.

Just looking at the example model that you pointed to on the Dutch World Bikes site, I would presume looking at some of its features and fittings on that it would likely be a few years older? Its seat and the front sprocket at the very least seem a bit more modern. Regardless, I know that I would be very surprised to see another RIH of its kind in Australia - they seem hard enough to find in Europe. Believe it or not, before it found its way to me, it was used as an errand bike for a local pub. They called their "fixe". I just don't want to give it back to the person who is currently caring for it.

Do you have any idea what sort of value that collectors would place on a bike like this? I note that the site you pointed me to quotes "price on request". I'm far more interested in preservation than profit but it might help my case in preserving this bike. I am just amazed how well it still shifts after nearly fifty years. It's clearly a very high quality bike with equally strong running gear. Am I getting too attached?

Cheers,

Velo

fabiofarelli

My son bought some years ago a similar bike as yours with flat bar for €100, dis some work on it, rode it for a few years and sold it for €175. In the Netherlands.

velology

Thanks Fabio,

I really appreciate you taking the time to respond. It's so very difficult to translate the value proposition to 14,000km away in Australia. I can't calculate the market here. I don't even think there can be a market here because the bike is so unique here. I just have a very strong feeling that the bike needs to be preserved... at least here. You'd be amazed. At the local major cycling park if I take my normal racer around ppl just pass by and keep talking about their most recent KPIs or some such rubbish. When I take this bike around they slow down and look at me and say hello. I'm not kidding.

Thanks Again,

Velo

non-fixie 

It is not a collector's item, at least not in the NL. I think Farelli jr. did very well getting €175 for it. YMMV down under, though. I've seen Americans go all gaga over a very mundane Dutch bike that wouldn't fetch €20 over here.

Its true value lies in it being a very nice, well-built vintage touring bike / Sunday cruiser for its owner. Both to ride and to look at. Like you have already noticed, it makes people happy. I like it, and if it were mine I'd probably keep it close to the way it is now. Service & polish it, put you favorite saddle on it and enjoy.

velology

Thanks for responding non-fixie. I agree but do have to wonder why the site you pointed me at is specifying the price as "price on request". But in any case it's impossible to know the value in Australia. I've posted it on Australian cycling forums (with no intention to sell) so I'm interested to see what local cyclists think. I'm slightly in love with it just because there's not much like this out here. We have our share of the usual good bikes but not vintage in this class much. Carl Wilson had a run here. I'm fond of my Giant's because I think they have a good build quality. I rode BMX and had a Redline that was the envy of the neighbourhood. But this is something else entirely. Not to you guys in Europe but out here this bike to me is just a peach.

Keep in touch

non-fixie 

That is because they offer that bike in an "electrified" version by replacing the rear wheel with a Zehus GEN2 wheel. Expect that price to be well north of €1,000.

velology

Ahhh. I don't quite understand the point of e-bikes. It's not really cycling it's...well... sitting. *shrug*

velology

Hi Non-Fixie,

I was wondering which market you witnessed this. Not because I intend to sell. I'm just curious about who is watching these bikes.

non-fixie 

I remember a forum discussion - here or elsewhere - about a rather humdrum chainstore ladies bike. Can't seem to find the discussion again, but I did find the bike in question (or a very similar one) here. Looks to be destined for the same fate as the red RIH above: electrification. (Which, IMO, is a lot better than it being scrapped and recycled into a KIA.)

DanseMacabre

Hi, this is my RIH-Fongers from 1970, number 164A.
It was a few months ago bought as a frameset with no history, with silver paint and Benotto decals. I painted it recently in the colors of the Amstel Team. The paint is quite okay for a first paintjob. I did mess up the decals, I guess it is a lesson to learn

The build is a Frankenstein with Mafac Racer centerpull brakes as the only period-correct part. Campagnolo Centaur 9-speed gearing and a Deore DX front derailer. Hubs are Campagnolo with Grand Bois Papillon rims. 3T stem, Soma Highway One handlebar (38cm) and I guess a Kalloy seatpost.
One thing I don't like about the Soma is that there are no grooves for cables, it does look and feel a bit messy. My Cinelli Nerve Ergo did have double grooves, ideal for Campagnolo. But a big ergo bar at 42cm wide and with 12,5 cm reach felt quite big, especially since I began using French camping bikes with handlebars at 38cm and 34cm It does feel quite nice, such a compact handlebar.
The cold setting from 120 to 130 was quite scary but easier then expected.

I don't know anything about its history. The 3 cableguides on the top tube are most probably not original, most (all?) RIH-Fongers have 2 cablestops on the underside of the top tube. There was a cablestop under the chainstay that was half broken, not sure if original, but it has a clamp-on cablestop there now. I assume it didn't come with centerpulls, since for the rear brake I had to make the hole slightly bigger for the main bolt, originally it will have had sidepulls, that is what I gather from this.
The crown of the front fork has/had no chrome, but all RIH-Fongers I see on the internet do have a chrome fork crown. Not sure what happened in the respray to silver sometime around 1980. I guess it was sandblasted since there was nothing to find of an original paint, and since there have been made changes to the frame, I cannot imagine the silver was original.
My greatest worry is that it was "just a sports bike" And there was a bit of rust at the chainstay, but I don't have pictures from earlier on.

Today I only took it into town for a few pictures. Tomorrow will be its mayden voyage in this configuration I hope.



RIH-Fongers 1970

RIH-Fongers 1970

RIH-Fongers 1970

RIH-Fongers 1970

RIH-Fongers 1970

DanseMacabre

It has made its maiden voyage, but the rain was a bit much so I kept it short to one and a half hour.

The Soma compact handlebars are lovely, I should have gotten those much earlier. Standing on the pedals at the start of a small climb feels so nice. Very different from the Cinelli Nerve that felt like grabbing onto a reindeer

The long chainstays dampen all small vibrations really well. Bigger waves in the road do not get filtered out, the rear end feels quite springy then.
Souplesse is there as well, going up against a bridge felt very nice on the pedals going round.

The Mafac brakes and me are not made for eachother. When hitting the brakes I see the people around me jump in all directions I assume it needs a certain feel and touch to be adjusted well, but I don't think I can give them more toe-in. I will be looking out for some sidepulls.

Jan_D.

More than a year ago I posted a message:

The RIH- story of my wife and I started in the early seventies. My wife was a teacher at a primary school in Amsterdam then. Her bike was a bit small and she was advised to go to the Westerstraat to buy a bike that would really fit her size (1.85m). The lady who gave her this advise was the mother of one of her pupils! Her name was Mrs Van der Kaaij. :-) In the Westerstraat we bought two "sport-bikes"; my wife a black one and i bought one in light green metallic. They were slightly diifferent (number of gears e.g.). Both had stainless steel mudgards and the text in gold "Een Cové product" on the seat bar just under the top tube. They where very good! Later we bought other bikes in the Westerstraat but never real racing bikes.
In the nineties my wife bought a red semi-randonneur mixed frame 62,5 cm for holiday-use. This was sprayed in bright red. After some years of usage in weekends and during holidays it was used to cycle to and fro her work. As the triple front blade ate too many trousers mr Van der Kaay changed it to a single front blade and added a red shield for the chain. Due to health issues this bike has been gathering dust for nearly three years. My wife found it hard to say goodbye to her RIH-Ferrari but it will be sold. I will advertise it on Marktplaats.nl and we both hope it will be sold by someone who keeps it in shape. No rust, but years of usage have left their marks, of course.

My wife decided to sell it.
More information on Marktplaats ad nr 1894904242

Jan

non-fixie 

Interesting bike, which is not seen very often. Certainly in that size. Thanks for posting it.

Rienkh

Dear all,

I hope some of you are still on this forum. I need your help finding out where and when this RIH was made.
It was in the possession of an old man, who recently passed away. it was his pride, and he almost never rode is, see the state it's still in.

There is only a number on the bottom bracket.
I have the feeling that is it painted again, seeing some cracks with an older type of red on a few spots on the frame. I never seen a RIH with just Amsterdam written on in.
No frame number on the front, but it has copper nails.. Could it be that de number was overpainted? Or is it simply made elsewhere..

As I am new to this forum I could not post pictures, but made an album, called RIH Rienkh
I hope you can help me, if there's another way to post pictures, let me know..

non-fixie 

Welcome, Rienkh !

Thanks for taking the time to upload your pictures. The album is here.

I agree that the frame looks to have been repainted, which means the decals don't mean much either. The lack of a serial number on the lower headlug suggests a Cové-built RIH.



The frame is a bit of a conundrum. The pump nipple on the head tube suggests it's from the eighties, but the lack of cable guides and the over-the-BB-shell shifter cable routing points towards a decade earlier. Perhaps someone better-versed than me knows how to read the code:

LeoBoon

Hi Non-Fxie and welcome Rienkh, I think this is another of those mystery RIH from the 70s. To me the 7791 indicates building year 1979 and number 91 of the bikes built that year. Like my 79125. I still believe that these are bikes built in Amsterdam before Cové starting building racing bike models. At that time in the late 70s the Westerstraat store did carry Cové made upright bikes, you know the type of bike your grandma would ride to the market or the grocery store.
By the way Non-Fixie are you market for adding a RIH to your collection. I am thinking of coming to Holland this year with some of my bikes. See if the boys at RIH Amsterdam want to display my randonneur and unload some of the other Rih's. Got no one here at a young age that wants to have the bikes.

fabiofarelli

According the famous RIH notebook this should be a frame from april 1966.



Find your framenumber here: https://rihsportamsterdam.nl/framenummers/

Rienkh

Thanks guys for taking the time to react! I saw the page where you can find the framenumbers, can you tell me how to read the measurements behind the names. Then it should be easy to check if indeed this is te same but repainted 7791 by re-measuring it. 23 1/4 would probably mean seat tube in inches?

non-fixie 

I believe so. Let us know what you findings are!

fabiofarelli

I guess Bustraan did not use the imperial but the metric system.