Grant Petersen is the man behind a bike company named Rivendell Bicycle Works, based in Walnut Creek - 30 miles east of San Fransisco.
They sell their own practical, beautiful steel bicycles, classic leather saddles, tartan cotton shirts designed by a 90 year old man in Pennsylvania and all you need to go bike camping, among a lot of other things.
Grant Petersen is since long a legendary designer in the bike industry, well known for his honest, down-to-earth and absolutely un-racing approach to bicycling.
37signals.com just posted this entertaining interview with Grant Petersen
Anyone interested in how to run a bicycle business should read this article.
Two quotes:
"99 percent of the bike market — designers, buiders, distributers, retailers, buyers, and riders — are selling the wrong bikes to the wrong people for the wrong reasons".
"Do something that matters enough to you that you can honestly tell yourself that if business is bad, if nobody’s buying, it’s because they’re misinformed, backwards, or just dumb".
Don't forget the comments section, where Grant himself shows up, answering a lot of questions from readers.
(If you'd like to know Grant Petersen better, also consider this conversation between the late Sheldon Brown and his friend Grant Petersen - available as an audio podcast as well).
GO CAMPING: The Rivendell Atlantis is Rivendell's most popular model. This lovely photo sums up a lot of reasons why it is made just the way it is.
Photo by Cosmiccountry/Flickr on a Creative Commons licence
