Rivendell 53cm Susie W. Longbolts Hillibike

TL;DR:

12-month-old, 53cm 'Lime Olive' Rivendell Susie W. Longbolts / Wolbis Slugstone 'Hillibike' rolling chassis, selling for £1,500. Location: Swindon, UK.

All the details:

Frameset purchased direct from Riv in Jan '23. Excellent condition, well-maintained, not seen lots of miles, no dings, dents, crashes or faults. The 53cm frameset is designed for a saddle height range from 66cms to 78cms (i.e. a PBH range from 77cms to 89cms). Saddle height in the photo is 71cms. I'm 171cms tall (short?) with slightly gangly arms and the fit is perfect. Geo: 69.4cm standover, 69deg HT angle, 71.5deg ST angle, 64cm TT (effective), 53cm chainstays, 53mm BB drop, 61.6cm stack & 43.2cm reach. Note Riv's comments on rider weight as follows: 'It’s like the Gus but for riders under 210 pounds [i.e. 95kgs or 14 stones and 9lbs] and who promise to ride them with loads of 25lbs [11.3kgs] or less, and no jumps or canyon-crossings. It's a Gus for lightweights and light loads.'

The following items are included in the sale:

1. Frame (fillet-brazed with a cute ❤ seat cluster lug) and forks
   
2. Headset: FSA 1" threaded -- Riv standard issue
   
3. 27.5" Wheels: 32h VO Voyager rims with a Deore T610 8/9/10sp hub (the thinking person's Onyx ;)) and a polished SON 28 dynamo. Reserve Fillmore valves.
   
4. Tyres: 2.4" Schwalbe Wicked Wills. Hugely underrated because they don't cost £100 each and aren't sold in artisanal hemp bags. No punctures.
   
5. Seatpost: 26.8mm Deore DX from the 90s, picked up NOS.
   
6. Kickstand: Pletscher. [Happy to keep this if you don't want it.]
   
7. Brakes & levers: Deore T610 V-brakes and levers (uninstalled)
   
8. QRs: Deore (please ignore the Paul QRs in the photos)
   
9. Stem: Nitto FW33 Power 110mm, 25.4 clamp with removeable faceplate (as new)
   
10. Bars: Albatross (as new)
    
    

Price: £1,500 (i.e. ~50% of what I paid for those bits, excl. customs, shipping etc.). You'll need to add the following bits for a complete build:

• Cassette (10sp or less)
• Derailer(s)
• Chain
• Crankset/chainset, whatever they're called
• BB (73mm threaded shell)
• Pedals
• Saddle (please ignore the B17 in the photos)
• Shifter(s)
• Shifter and brake cables/housing
• Grips
• Dynamo light (optional)

It's an excellent bike, super capable and fun to ride. The long chainstays make really sleep inclines actually climbable, and descents confidence-inspiring. On the flats, it doesn't ride as long as it looks (if that makes any sense). All that said, I've had my fill of Riv's Kool-Aid and am no longer emotionally attached to it. I'm based in Swindon SN3 but could probably meet in Bristol Temple Meads or London Paddington. You're welcome to collect and savour Swindon's delights such as the Magic Roundabout though?

This 'dibs' business confuses me (like, how long am I supposed to wait?) so if you want this please send me a message and let's discuss logistics and payment. Happy to answer any questions, thanks!

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More photos!

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good price, good chap

Awesome frame! GLWS.

Fantastic! GLWS

Wow... Best of luck with the sale there. I just recently got an Appaloosa in the same green - scampi fries!

That’s a cool one

Such a good looking bike! GLWS.

Interested in the wheels if you might separate.

I'llask what I feel others are thinking, how come the sale? What are you putting the running gear on ? I love Riv/Grant but the trend for step through and long stays is testing my love

That’s a fair question — the sale isn’t prompted by a dislike of the frame or anything like that. The long stays I guess are visually divisive but ride so damn good!

To be completely frank with you, for a brand that introduced the brilliant and bold Black Reparations Pricing policy in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and the staunch, unapologetic support and fundraising for Ukraine in the face of Russia’s illegal invasion, Rivendell’s radio silence as a genocide unfolds in Palestine jars on me. Of course, not everyone shares the same views — and no one expects a small bicycle brand to change foreign policy — but as a business that has made an active decision to be vocal about social justice, politics and trans rights, their silence now makes for uncomfortable ownership. I emailed Grant, and wasn’t satisfied with the response I received. To be clear, he isn’t ‘cancelled’ or anything stupid like that. The folks at Riv seem to be nice people but I guess we all have our blind spots. Sorry, you probably got more than you bargained for with that innocent question!

I’ve ordered a lovely 51cm Bassi Hog’s Back frameset in ‘Loch Ness’ from the Woods Cyclery and the parts I’ve pilfered from the Riv will adorn that rig in the near future. I may start a ‘new projects’ thread to document my journey with that, let’s see.

Impossible choice.

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You can’t ride a house.

I like your thinking

This has now provisionally sold, subject to payment and collection this weekend.

Bold and brave, I salute you on strong ethics and a full answer. Much appreciated.

Back to bikes, the Hogs Back appears a sweet frameset imo. Be good to see it come alive

Hard agree. Ironically, it made me wanna buy the bike. Salute!

I popped into C&L Cycles and gave a Bloomfield a test ride when I was in Montréal over Christmas. I can confirm they are super nice bikes and even nicer dudes. Not sure on their thoughts on Palestine tho...

Salute your decision and fair response @Browndonneur. Was a bit surprised to see this on sale, but can totally understand.

That's great to hear. They seem like a cool bunch and I was happy to see their raffle and call for a permanent ceasefire. It's probably unwise to be puritanical about these things (I mean, where does it end?) but sometimes you just have to go with what you believe is right in the circumstances.

I have mixte views on why exactly you're selling but GLWS regardless

mixte views

Ha, apparently the Susie's TT is referred to as a 'drooptube'?!

Officially sold.