Felkerino and I used to see Russ quite regularly on D.C. Randonneurs brevets. Russ is great riding company. He loves wool, flat pedals, steel bikes, and being outdoors. Also, he always seems totally relaxed when he’s on the bike.

Unfortunately, we don’t see Russ on D.C. Randonneurs rides anymore because he is now stationed in Korea. However, we keep virtual tabs on Russ and his bike via flickr. He’s still riding brevets, only now he does them with the Korea Randonneurs.

(Lothar Hennighausen, a D.C. Randonneur who travels frequently to Korea, started the Korea Randonneurs, and they now offer a full Super Randonneur series. Is that cool or what?)

When we first met Russ, he was riding a Surly Long Haul Trucker in Olive Green, and one day he turned up riding a knock-your-socks-off gorgeous Rivendell custom. There was a lot of ooohing and ahhhing that day. Read more about the bike and check out the pictures. I dare you not to oooh and awww.

1. What kind of bike do you have?

I have a 2000 Rivendell custom that I acquired on eBay in 2007. It was custom built for a gentleman in Alaska who, unfortunately, died of a heart attack in 2007. His entire stable of bikes was auctioned by a professional seller. The bike came to me nicely equipped and as far as I could tell was seldom if ever ridden. The seller even included the original correspondence with Grant Peterson on the details of the build. So it is custom, but not to me.

2. Where do you ride it?

I am stationed in Waegwan, South Korea with the U.S. Army so I ride it only in Korea. Generally I use it for long distance randonneuring and touring.

3. What do you like about your bike?

I like that it’s heavy, strong, reliable, and yet graceful and beautiful.

4. Fenders or no fenders?

I do not understand why people ride bikes without fenders.

5. Does your bike have a name?

No, but it is female.

6. What is your favorite accessory on your bike and why?

My favorite accessory is the Ostrich bag because of the cool saying on it: “Excellent equipment of pack and carrying gear for all cyclists at heart. OSTRICH. The Big Bicycling.”

Thanks for sharing your gleaming Rivendell, Russ. I’m so glad you are able to ride brevets and complete a Super Randonneur series in Korea. Pretty cool.