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.

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wiscot says:

Nov 17 2015 at 12:55 pm

@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.
wiscot says:

Nov 17 2015 at 1:30 pm

@Matt

@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.

But scope that head tube Lugg!

I'm sure it's likely a handmade steel frame. I think the struts are there to provide some kind of stability/security for the stem. The expander bolt can't be in that headtube by much!

No socks = mo faster. Fact.
Oli says:

Nov 17 2015 at 1:39 pm

@RobSandy

Steve Joughin, the Pocket Rocket!
Oli says:

Nov 17 2015 at 1:42 pm

@EBruner

Pah, noob. ;-)
Ccos says:

Nov 17 2015 at 2:02 pm

@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.

Amen brother (ironically typed on my cell phone...)
piwakawaka says:

Nov 17 2015 at 4:32 pm

@Ccos

@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.

Amen brother (ironically typed on my cell phone…)

meh, the guy's got a watch on his bars, there's a bloke with a clipboard at the finish recording times, same thing.
Apex Nadir says:

Nov 17 2015 at 4:54 pm

@Oli

@RobSandy

Steve Joughin, the Pocket Rocket!

Born 48 years after the original Pocket Rocket, Maurice Richard.
Apex Nadir says:

Nov 17 2015 at 4:58 pm

@Apex Nadir

Oops, that was Maurice "Rocket" Richard. His brother Henri "Pocket Rocket" was born in 1936.
Chipomarc says:

Nov 17 2015 at 5:22 pm

@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.
Ccos says:

Nov 17 2015 at 5:27 pm

@piwakawaka

@Ccos

@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.

Amen brother (ironically typed on my cell phone…)

meh, the guy’s got a watch on his bars, there’s a bloke with a clipboard at the finish recording times, same thing.

Ooh, valid point, except you're talking about a race not some random stretch of road and it likely occurred without a narcissist aftertaste.