Archival Bicycles: Brevet Bikes

Chromed Canadian custom by rider/builder Nigel Press

On Friday, I head up to The Dalles, Oregon, to participate in the Oregon Randonneur's Oregon Blue Mountains 1000k brevet. If all goes well, this will be my last brevet on The Pencil, my trusty Rivendell road bike. In September--or so--I'll be taking delivery of a custom randonnee frame by Sacha White of Vanilla Bicycles (details to follow).

Since I'm a slow randonneuse, I rarely spend time with other riders or their bikes (save for Pal Peg and her newly built Tony Pereira). I try to grab reference shots at the beginning of brevets or during rest controls. As I've already documented, I adore randonneuring bikes for their visual elegance, purpose built design, uber-durability and post-apocalyptic use value. I also love that a brevet bike is visually incomplete without a well made, canvas duck front handlebar bag.

Here are a few of my sample brevet bike snaps.

PBP Ancien, Duane Wright, and his vintage Peugeot

Beautiful custom bike by rider/builder Corey Thomspon

Steve Rex custom at start of SIR 4 Passes 600k

Steve Rex custom front rack

Peg's Pereira (rare flat repair)

Tournesol after SIR Bremerton 400k

Jack's vintage 650b Grand Jubile Motobecane

Amy P's Rivendell Rambouillet (in ghoulish a.m. hotel light)

Tom's custom Coho

Robin P's Waterford custom (mark down for minimalist baggage)

Sara's Velo-Orange Randonneuse (early Johnny Coast prototype)

Trusty Pencil on 3 Capes 300k

Via Pillpat