allen hansrisuk

2025-06-24 Tue

My Rivendell Roadini Build

After reading the New Yorker piece on Rivendell, "The Art of Taking It Slow", I had a hunch that these bikes would become way more difficult to obtain than they already were. Rather than dedicate the effort in my current gravel build I opted to try to get a new Roadini frame when they went on preorder in September. Luckily for me, the Roadini was still relatively easy to obtain as their sturdier "country bikes" (Appaloosa, Sam Hillborne, Atlantis) are way more desirable among their fan base.

The build was pretty straightforward and parts were selected with comfort in mind. It took about 2 months of waiting for all the parts I wanted to come back in stock and ended up way over budget on the wheels. The wheelset I had lying around was just a little too narrow for my liking.

The bike rides like a dream. I feel I could lightly load it for a short touring trip or overnighter and the bike would handle just as well. So far I've ridden on packed gravel, paved and dirt roads. The bike could definitely handle rockier stuff but that'll put your warranty with Rivendell in jeopardy.

Overlooking downtown Baltimore:

Rivendell Roadini

Parts for the nerds: