Born for the Hills! A Review of the Rivendell Sam Hillborne

[edited to add: Rivendell Bicycle Works was a sponsor of this website in May - June . This post was written prior to that time.]



I have owned my Rivendell Sam Hillborne("Graham Greene") for 6 months now, and have ridden it for 1,800 miles. It is time for a review. The short version is: "I love it. I love it so much!" For the long version, read on.





I received aRivendell Sam Hillborne frame as a holiday gift in December , purchased fromHarris Cycleryin West Newton, MA. We were not yet comfortable building up a bike on our own, so the build was done at Harris as well. It took me a few months to save up for the components, and the bicycle was ready in the end of April.Note thatHarris Cyclerywas not a sponsor at the time, and that everything in relation to this bicycle was a standard purchase.





My choice of build for the Hillborne was informed by test-riding a floor model in my size. Since I had no real experience riding a roadbike at that point, I mostly went with recommended specs. These included a 3x8 drivetrain, Sugino cranks,Nitto Noodle handlebars with Silver bar-end shifters, and a Brooks B17S saddle. My 52cm frame was built for 650B wheels and cantilever brakes.





The three things I specifically chose for this bicycle were handbuilt wheels with dynamo lighting (see details here), Grand Bois Hetre tires (see review here), and Tektro short reach brake levers. The discovery of these brake levers was crucial for me. One thing that had hitherto prevented me from riding bicycles with drop bars, was my inability to squeeze the brake levers - especially from the hoods. I have small hands and I have damaged nerves in my hands. The combination made squeezing this type of lever impossible. When I described the problem to Elton at Harris Cyclery, we went through different brake levers to see whether any existed that I was able to squeeze. The Tektro levers were it and I am extremely happy with them. Elton also showed me some methods of hand and finger placement that work well for me and do not send electric currents through my fingers. I cannot stress enough what a break-through this was in terms of understanding why I was having problems riding with drop bars before.





Over time, I added other personal touches to the bicycle. These include a Carradice saddle bag,





a Nitto M-18 front rack from Renaissance Bicycle (a sponsor), an Ostrich handlebag bag from Velo Orangewhich I use on long trips,





a twined and shellacked Klean Kanteen water bottle,





and my belovedPower Grips (see here for my initial review of them).





I have also twined and shellacked the kickstand (to prevent it from scraping against the pedal when the bike is parked),





and added a leatherVelo Orangechainstay protector. This product is great for preventing the paint on the right chainstay from getting nicked by the chain slapping against it when the bicycle goes over bumps - which began to happen to my Rivendell within the first few rides I went on.





There are a few additional little details that I enjoy, but no one else probably notices - like these green cable endcap crimps,





and the "taupe" zipties (see top right, under the waterbottle) for routing the dynamo lighting that I find to be less noticeable than black ones.





Over the time I have owned him, I feel that Graham has attained an appearance that is distinctly personalised. Looking at him reminds me of the many "firsts" I experienced on this bicycle: from learning to ride with drop bars to going downhill at 30 miles per hour, while cornering, with a full handlebar bag.





These experiences certainly did not happen all at once. After I first brought the complete bicycle home, I had a minor hysterical breakdown when the reality of owning it hit me. What on Earth would I do with such an expensive bike with drop bars?What if I wasn't able to ride it? The bike would end up standing in my livingroom as a beautiful, ridiculous testament to the gap between my imagination and my abilities.





This emotional self-flogging lasted for a couple of days, but then I began to ride the bike. I took it slow and started by setting the handlebars quite high, so that I could get used to the drop bars. The Hillborne has what I would say is a long top tube, and I have a short torso - so the degree of lean this placed me in required some adjustment on my part.





Over the course of the first month I owned the bike, I rode it almost daily and lowered the handlebars weekly - until eventually I was comfortable with them being at the level of the saddle. I would recommend this method to those who find dropbars intimidating.



I love pretty much everything about this bicycle and find it difficult to muster up any words of criticism. It may be worth noting that some dislike the slight upward slope to the top tube on the Hillborne, but I have no problem with it. If I have to find something bad to say, then maybe it's that the paint seems to be a bit delicate - but then I am used to powdercoat, and it's just a fact that liquid paint is easier to nick. I am equally happy with my choice of components - perhaps with the exception of the Shimano Deore rear derailleur, which I have managed to bang up pretty badly in the course of ownership. Next spring, I may replace it with the Shimano XT "Shadow,"which seems more immune to abuse. Otherwise, everything is perfect.





I don't know how to describe the ride quality of the Sam Hillborne in technical terms, but in non-technical terms I feel as if I could live on it. Nothing hurts, ever. The bicycle is miraculously cushy over bumps. There is no "toe overlap" with the front tire when turning. The seat tube angle is just right: relaxed enough to be comfortable without having to shove the saddle back on the rails, but not so relaxed as to stand in the way of "performance." I can keep up with the Co-Habitant just fine on the Hillborne, and he is a fast cyclist. The most challenging ride I have gone on so far has been a very hilly metric century (64 miles), and I felt great afterwards. No weight on my hands, no strain on my neck, no knee pain, just comfy cycling goodness. The bicycle seems equally stable at both high and low speeds. I can go over 20 miles per hour while feeling as if I am going 10 and I can plummet downhill while enjoying the view instead of panicking. It is also fantastic on climbs and seems to carry momentum well.





As I have mentioned at the start, I have now cycled 1,800 miles on this bike - whichmay be more than I have cycled on all my other bicycles combined. I had never imagined that I would be doing this much cycling, let alone on a roadbike. I know that it is all supposed to be about the cyclist and not about the bicycle, but I honestly do not think I would have come this far in my road cycling skills on a different bike, no way. I would even credit the Sam Hillborne with how well I took the track bike I rode in Vienna and to the Italian racing bike I subsequently built up as a fixed gear. Once I learned the skills on the Rivendell, I felt comfortable on other types of roadbikes as well - but I would not have been able to learn on them.





While the Sam Hillborne was great for me as a beginner, I am nowhere close to "outgrowing" it. If anything, I feel as if I am slowly growing into it and am only starting to appreciate its full potential. Next summer I am looking forward to doing some more extensive touring and attempting more challenging hills. After all - the bike was born for them.

Lazy Days and Nature Walks

We are definitely enjoying the nature walks and lazy days. Especially down by the river. I really loved the seven months we traveled and saw all new things. And I'm really loving being back in a place that feels like "home" to us because we spent so much time here last winter.







Living the life in warm and sunny Florida!

Showtime with the Lipizzan Horses

I have visited these horses and wrote about them enough times that I'm beginning to feel like a dating ad when I talk about them. It's hard to not talk about how fabulous they are when you share pictures of them. They are such gorgeous creatures.




They are strong, impressive creatures!



They even have great hair!



What I don't think I've talked about yet, is the fact that they are clearly trained to be showmen.



Since I don't speak horse, I have no idea if they enjoy us being there or not. But I can tell they are comfortable and used to us being there by how they interact with the crowd.



If those pictures were not proof enough, check out this one.

Best.Horse.Shot.Ever.



I swear he was looking at me saying," and hoooolllldddiiinnnngggg...please just take the shot already!"




Love the Lipizzaner horses. Living the life in sunny Florida.

Pink Flower

Can't remember what this pink flower is called. It is the only one that came up from two bags of bulbs that I got from The Dollar Tree Store this spring.

Re-Trying the Moustache Handlebar

Iconic of the Bridgestone XO era and later championed by Rivendell, the Moustache handlebar is perhaps more popular today than ever. The dramatic forward sweep, the sideways-mounted road levers and the bar-end shifters make for avisually distinct and intriguing presence. The design is easiest to understand if you think of it as a flattened out drop bar, with the brake levers installed on what would have been the hooks. Grant Petersen designed the Moustache in the early 1990s specifically for the Bridgestone XO bicycles, as a kind of a hybrid between upright and drop bars. Today several manufacturers produce their own versions (including Soma and Origin8), though likely the Nitto/ Rivendell model remains closest to the original.






I first tried Moustache handlebars three years ago, and I remember being surprised by the leaned-forward position they put me in. Unlike the handlebars you see on city bikes, the Moustache is swept forward, rather than swept back - putting the rider's hands way out there, forward of the stem. Depending on stem length and handlebar height, this can be quite an aggressive lean. Recently I tried the bars again: I've been getting questions about them from readers and wanted to refresh my memory.




Riding with Moustache bars again was fun; my riding style has changed so much since the last time. These bars are unique and remind me of no other handlebars I've ever tried, so it's hard to find a point of reference. The forward sweep is vaguely North-Roadish, with two notable exception: All the hand positions are forward of the stem, and the brake levers are in the forwardmost points of the sweep, rather than in what we are accustomed to thinking of as the gripping areas.






The shape of the handlebars feels pretty good, and I have no trouble squeezing the levers from their location (here is anillustrated guideto the hand positions). However, I find the setup counterintuitive. Squeezing the brake levers puts me in a forward-leaning position, whereas using the bar-end shifters puts me in a leaned-back position: the exact opposite of what I am used to. After all, when I squeeze the brake levers I am trying to reduce speed - and the aggressive posture counteracts that - especially when coming to a complete stop. It was interesting to experience the discrepancy between what my body wanted to do when stopping and what the bars wanted me to do. On my own bikes, I prefer for the brake levers to be in a location that allows my posture to be more relaxed.






A friend who rides with Moustache bars explains them as a variant of riding with vintage, non-aero drop bars (where you brake mainly from the hooks). He believes those who are used to that will find braking with the Moustache intuitive, whereas the likes of me who mostly brake from the hoods of modern drop bars - or from the edgemost gripping areas of swept-back handlebars - may have trouble with the setup. He could be right. Either way, it's a handsome handlebar that I enjoy seeing on others' bikes.

Slush Cup

Well, it seems that "Slush Cup" went big time this year. While we climbers were trudging up the Emmons variation of the DC, the folks from TAY were skimming across a pond on skis and snowboards, courting NPR radio reporter Tom Banse. Was it perhaps the slick video that attracted the attention of the rangers and media? Somehow, they turned a damp gray day below Pinnacle Peak into radio propaganda for those who pursue "turns all year." That is, turns all year, year after year after year after year...

Which begs the questions, what constitutes "turns"? It seems that strapping on your boards for "sand dune" turns in eastern Washington could actually qualify you for the honor; however carving Mt. Hood's salty slush in August may not. There are rules and qualifiers for everything. Go figure! Photo provided by Ron Jarvis, who frequently haunts Rainier's slopes in pursuit of skiable snow (what a surprise.)

And regarding mountain climbing... there is little "new" news to share. Climbers are successfully ascending the primary routes, so things must be holding together. There are ranger patrols on the Kautz and Emmons glaciers. Look for those reports later this week.

Lovely garden restaurant in Samos: Anna’s Restaurant and my introduction to Imam Baildi

Dutchman and I have been eyeing this garden restaurant for days already. It has a different ambiance. Most of the restaurants in this area have their dining beside the beach road or on the beach, whereas this restaurant is set off from the main road and inside a garden of flowers and trees. One evening, we finally made a decision to dine here.







Anna’s Restaurant

Website Trip Advisor:Anna’s Restaurant



Anna’s Restaurant is located in Kampos (or Kambos, also called Votsalakia). I don’t understand why the many spellings and another different name, I think this is the old name--Votsalakia, but Greek language is difficult enough to understand, let alone translate it to English! The restaurant is on the main street right on the border to the next town, a little bit further from the town centre.













What do you think of the homey garden ambiance? This is actually a timely needed change of scenery for us after days of sitting on the beach for dinner.



The mother of the house restaurant was excited to show us (moi and another couple) what they had cooked for the evening. Some restaurants here in Samos prepare a part of the food in the menu ahead of time. It is something like a cafeteria setting, and they do heat the food of course before serving. Some people do not like this kind of set-up while others do not actually mind (like us) because this is the style, very organic and 100% local. A pure Greek home-style restaurant.











This home-style garden restaurant even has a stone oven. Beautiful!



Above you will see some of the Greek fares available for picking. For 15 Euros you can have small pickings of everything. We did not want that because that is too much. So I settled for something that caught my fancy for our starter which I am sure the Dutchman would also like.



Imam Baildi and more...



The mother of the house told me that the dish I picked for our starter is called Imam. Hmm, the only imam I know are those Muslim preachers, but anyway, Imam it is, and so I wrote it down in my black notebook so I can remember. After much googling, I came across with Imam Baildi. I do not write everything in my black notebook, only when I have it and when I remember writing down the new things I learned. Most of the times I get caught up with the flow of events that I forget to write them down. Really jammer.










This is Imam Baildi, in English Stuffed Aubergine (Eggplant for you non-Europeans), and yes this is vegetarian. Dutchman and I loved this, partnered with the bread. Great for starters!


For our mains, I settled for grilled fish while the Dutchman wanted some Italian fare, spaghetti with stewed beef on top. Now that is interesting!



My fish was very fresh and it was just what I expected. Dutchman on the other hand was quite happy and satisfied. He said he was tired of Greek food so the pasta was a nice welcome change.









We came from a long afternoon in the beach and did not bother going back to our apartment and change clothes for dinner. We were hungry and want to get over with it.













All in all, this is a very nice and lovely place. A different ambiance away from the beach but equally romantic and divine. We loved especially the Imam Baildi. I highly recommendAnna’s Restaurant. 4 stars out of 5.