This week’s Reader’s Rig comes from Tim in Portland, who shares the gorgeous one-off Rivendell Protovelo that he uses for everything from century rides to spins around the neighborhood with his kids. You can get to know Tim and his prototype rig here…

Words and photos by Tim (@eitherorrbikes)

I’m Tim (he/they). I live in Portland, Oregon. I’m the co-founder of a fake bike brand called Either/Orr Bikes. I like to ride my bike around the neighborhood with my kids, cruise the city with my internet pals, ride long rando rides with buds, do a gravel ride in the gorge with frens, bikepack for a few nights in the mountains, and maybe one day I’ll do a cross race (I’ve been saying that forever).

Rivendell Protovelo

This bike was a one-off prototype that was made to do a final test of the Joe Appaloosa model from Rivendell. I got it used from a guy named Kurt, who bought it from a Riv garage sale. The steerer tube still has Kurt’s name on it from when he got a replacement fork. It has super long chainstays, which took some time to get used to visually, but they made it a really smooth ride.

  • Rivendell Protovelo
  • Rivendell Protovelo

Every time I ride it, I sigh to myself about how comfortable it is. I’ve tried 5,000 handlebars on it, and I like the Boscos or Mone Moto bars best. It’s a very versatile bike if you’re not trying to be fast. It was my only bike for a long time, so it needed to be multipurpose. Some of my most memorable rides are a road century to see the total solar eclipse, the Evergreen Gravel Racing ride in 2021, and bike camping with my two-year-old son.

Rivendell Protovelo
  • Rivendell Protovelo
  • Rivendell Protovelo
  • Rivendell Protovelo
  • Frame Rivendell Protovelo 62cm
  • Fork Rivendell Hunqapillar
  • Rims Velocity Cliffhanger
  • Hubs Velocity/SON 28
  • Tires Schwalbe Thunderburts 29 x 2.1″ with fenders, 29 x 3.25″ without
  • Handlebars Nitto Bosco
  • Grips PDW Whisky Grips
  • Bell Spurcycle
  • Headset Chris King
  • Crankset Sugino XD2 w/ Riv Chain Guard and 38 tooth chainring
  • Pedals Vice VP
  • Cassette Sunrace 11-46
  • Chain Two chains stuck together cuz these long ass chainstays
  • Derailleur SRAM Rival
  • Brakes Deore V-brakes
  • Shifter(s) SRAM Apex
  • Saddle Brooks B17
  • Seatpost Something silver
  • Stem Nitto 130mm?
  • Front bags Fab’s Chest or Swift Industries Zeitgeist
  • Frame bags My mom made it. She’s awesome.
  • Rear bags Rivendell Sackville Medium
  • Accessory bags Randi Jo Fabrications Bartender Bag
  • Fenders Simworks x Honjo Flat 65s (used to have SKS)
  • Light B&M Luxos front light
  • Other accessories Tons of stickers. Ugly mounts for a tag along/kid seat. Pletscher double kickstand.

I joke that when I’m old, I’ll cut off the top tube and make it a step-thru. Since it’s a prototype, it only has one water bottle cage. I keep telling myself I’ll have more bottle mounts added and have the frame/fork painted to match.

  • Rivendell Protovelo
  • Rivendell Protovelo

You can find more from Tim and Either/Orr Bikes on Instagram @eitherorrbikes.

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