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Rivendell A. Homer Hilsen Country Bike - $2,200 (San Clemente)
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I purchased this bicycle new, circa 2010, in-person from Grant Peterson at Rivendell’s headquarters when we were living nearby in the East Bay. I had long admired Rivendell from afar and finally resolved to see, firsthand, what all the quiet reverence was about.
What I encountered was their showroom Hilsen- a consummate “Country Bike”- and I was undone. It was, to my eye, nothing short of arresting. Tweed and leather Nigel Smythe bags with proper fender flaps; polished Nitto aluminum cockpit; cork grips; cream and blue colorings of uncommon restraint and taste.
It possessed that rare quality of being both purposeful and beautiful… a bicycle with presence.
Working with Grant, I ordered what he considered to be the finest components and accessories available within the Rivendell universe. By the time the dust settled, my investment exceeded $4,300 — and I never once regretted it.
The wheels were hand-built by Rich Lesnik, as they should be. Assembly was performed by Jay Ritchey — yes, that Ritchey — son of Tom Ritchey of Marin County renown. Provenance matters, and this machine has it.
On delivery day (one of the accompanying photographs is from that afternoon), I took my inaugural ride. The experience was sublime. The handling was scalpel-precise, yet serenely composed. In the parking lot I carved progressively tighter circles and figure eights, marveling at the silence, the balance, the absence of any mechanical imprecision.
There is no play, no chatter, no vagueness anywhere in the system — only that taut, confident cohesion one associates with things made carefully and without compromise.
For sizing reference: measuring from the center of the crank to the top of the seat tube (at the lowest point of the seat cluster dip), I obtain approximately 24.625 inches — roughly 62 cm.
Four years after purchasing the Hilsen, we relocated from Orinda to the Sierra foothills — terrain defined by formidable grades and very few level roads. The Hilsen, more a connoisseur’s rambling companion than a mountain goat, found itself hanging in my shop for the next eleven years, ridden perhaps 20 times.
Seven months ago, we moved to San Clemente in Southern Orange County.
Regrettably, I no longer have suitable storage space. Keeping such a machine outdoors under a cover, unused, seems a real waste.
This bicycle deserves roads, not retirement.
I strongly prefer local pickup. However, for a serious buyer at a distance, I would gladly deliver it to a reputable local bike shop for professional packing and shipment at the buyer’s expense.
If you understand what Rivendell builds, and why, you already know this is not merely a bicycle, but a philosophy rendered in steel.
Asking $2,200