Categories: Accessories and GearFolkloreNostalgia

On the Rivet

Pete Boydell shows us what Rule #5 looks like.

I’m proud to declare that I am fluent in three languages: Hyperbole, Dutch, and English. All of them rubbish. The language of the peloton is, by and large, the most beautiful and expressive in French and Italian, which already make anything sound sexy. But they really excel in le langage du peloton: Sur la plaque, La Volupte, Grinta, La Fringale – each of those smash their English translations with pure linguistic voluptuousness.

The exception is, of course, the term “on the rivet”. Don’t ask my why we all slide forward on our saddles when we’re riding hard, but we all do. Slip your saddle forward a bit to accommodate the forward position, and you’ll still slip forward once you start laying down The Five. It’s one of life’s great mysteries, alongside gravity and how the frosting got inside the twinkies.

Saddles used to have a rivet on the front, to hold the the crotch-numbing slab of leather in place because Cycling saddles at the time were modelled after Western horse saddles. And whenever you were well and truly on your limit, you’d have your rump precariously perched right over that brass nubbin. Hence the term, on the rivet.

To kindly demonstrate the point, no one does “On the Rivet” better than former Manchester DC legend, Pete Five Face Boydell. Even his saddle is having a shit.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next Style and Fashion »

Previous « La Solidarité

View Comments

frank says:

Nov 18 2015 at 1:50 pm

@EBruner

@Wingnuts

Call it a tub all you want, but on my side of the Atlantic they have been sewups since I started gluing them with that damn red shit in 1984.

Sewups, tubs, potato patato. Just don't fucking ride clinchers and we are good to go.

@chuckp

@wiscot

@chuckp

Pretty sure this guy is on the rivet.

Nowadays domestiques have those mesh vests to carry water bottles. Back in the day it was a fucking bucket. Try logging that into yer Strava.

And y0u can put ice in a bucket! Can’t do that with a mesh vest.

I kind of feel like those mesh vests are akin to mechanical doping.
frank says:

Nov 18 2015 at 1:55 pm

@Chipomarc

@wiscot

@RobSandy

@freddy

…and this was before Strava, right?

Have to say this, with no disrespect to RobSandy, but if it’s on Strava, I really don’t give a fuck! Strava’s just another enabler of smart phone addiction.

Agree. I gave up strava over a year ago.

There is something about strava and so many of these newbie road riders out there now that just grates on me.

In fact I’ve stopped waving or even smiling at a passing rider that doesn’t look proper.

Strong work all around. I think Strava can be a good tool, but it leads to really bad training habits where you're always trying to set a PB on all your favorite segments.

I've been a self-professed nod-snob for ages, too. It's practically a moral obligation riding around in V-Kit all the time.
chris says:

Nov 18 2015 at 2:16 pm

@frank

@chris

Fucking awesome photo @frank.

I had a look around on googel to see if I could find out a bit more about Mr Boydell, not much going on there (I’ll see if my old sensei Mr Cammish can come up with) but I did find this.

Despite having the sort of beard usual reserved for religious nutter and sex pests, this chap was obviously capable of laying down so much V that his bars needed reinforcement.

Another weird single ring subset of British cycling, a hill climber this time not a tester.

His beard also qualifies him for tending bar in Seattle.

If you're not careful you'll run into his sort in London as well.
Apex Nadir says:

Nov 18 2015 at 3:36 pm

@frank

@Apex Nadir

What the fuck is that shit.

It's hockey, Frank. And if it's good enough for Clara Hughes, it's good enough for me.
frank says:

Nov 18 2015 at 3:45 pm

@pistard

Luggs. So sexy they need a second G.

@Oli

Hockey? HOCKEY? Get a real (non-cycling) sport – here’s every try the late Jonah Lomu scored in his All Blacks career. RIP.

Watched some of the world cup this year as I was in ZA when it started and the enthusiasm for the Springboks was infectious. Then they even showed the semifinals and finals on TV. Amazing to me the way the game just keeps cruising along and they birth and rebirth that ball out of a pile of men.
frank says:

Nov 18 2015 at 3:49 pm

@Apex Nadir

@frank

@Apex Nadir

What the fuck is that shit.

It’s hockey, Frank. And if it’s good enough for Clara Hughes, it’s good enough for me.

FFS. I went to a hockey game for a work function last week. Impossible to (a) follow and (b) give a shit.The only thing I took away from that was the term "penalty box", in which you will find yourself if you keep posting photos of hockey here.

Also, she must not be very committed to it, thankfully. She's walking on a carpet FFS. I thought Canadians were born on ice?
Apex Nadir says:

Nov 18 2015 at 4:01 pm

@frank

FFS. I went to a hockey game for a work function last week. Impossible to (a) follow and (b) give a shit.The only thing I took away from that was the term “penalty box”, in which you will find yourself if you keep posting photos of hockey here.

Forgive me @frank for I have sinned.

Better?
frank says:

Nov 18 2015 at 4:05 pm

@Barracuda

Original photo = sock length.

Clearly an inspiration for Sir Brad.
Barracuda says:

Nov 18 2015 at 4:34 pm

@frank

@Barracuda

Original photo = sock length.

Clearly an inspiration for Sir Brad.

Also shoes inspired Adam Hansen to make his own.
frank says:

Nov 18 2015 at 5:39 pm

@Chipomarc

@Apex Nadir

@Apex Nadir

Oops, that was Maurice “Rocket” Richard. His brother Henri “Pocket Rocket” was born in 1936.

Looks like he must be some sort of aircraft maintenance tech. ( not that’s there’s anything wrong with that )

I think it's a prototype for Fabians BB.