Velo City: Bicycle Culture and City Life

Rivendell Protovelo

Rivendell Protovelo

The cult following Rivendell Bicycle Works has attained never ceases to amaze me. More than any other marque, Rivendells are spoken about in awed tones and lusted after by bicycle tourists and randoneés. The mystical model designation, based on Tolkien characters, seem to appeal to that aspect of the psyche concerned with the fantastic.

Occasionally it’s possible to acquire a prototype frame by Rivendell’s builder, the legendary Mark Nobilette. He’s been building frames since 1973, so even his project frames are top notch, mainly built from Reynolds tubing. This edition is proudly owned by Esteban, editor of the blog Vélo-Flâneur. The raw clear powdercoat finish reveals the Reynolds batch stamps and maker’ marks.

You can view more detail shots and track the build process on Esteban’s flickr stream.

Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo
Rivendell Protovelo