Alex and His Stag Up BBQ Terrace at Mount Diablo

Rawlands at Almanzo 100

Click on the picture to embiggen.

Chet and his Nordavinden alongside Alex and his Stag. They both completed today's Almanzo 100. More details to follow. Congratulations, Chet and Alex!

Pacenti SL23 650b Wheelset

Built with DT Swiss Super Comp Spokes, DT Swiss ProLock spoke ends and White Industries T11 28h hubs. 652g front; 851g rear. Handbuilt for mixed-terrain riding by Master Wheelbuilder Rich Lesnik of Hands on Wheels, San Francisco. Click on any picture to embiggen.

Order a set of Pacenti SL23 650b rims here. 

Questions? Email us here. 

Stag 2 Prototype Fork

Click on any picture to embiggen.

A significant step toward improved production lead time and greater design freedom.

Nice and tidy weld beads. Black ED coating provides permanent rustproofing.

The small rack mounts provide better access for struts/clips. Look smart as well. 

An absolutely perfect fit for the Grand Bois M-13 wide rack. No squeezing required.

Lighter than the current Stag fork. Looking good, with about 8 refinements to be made.

New Pacenti SL23 650b Rim

Machined sidewalls. New font and decal design.

Light (418 grams) and stiff heat-treated 6061-T6 alloy.

Aero profile. Shiny black anodized finish. 

Seamless welded construction. 

Sidewall wear indicator.

Tubeless Compatible Bead (TCB) design.

Wide profile for increased tire volume. 

Order a set here. Choose 28 or 32 hole. 

Questions? Email us here.

Nordavinden: A Modern Gravel Grinder

"The Rawland Nordavinden offers the perfect combination of qualities..."

Check it out here.

Skol,
Sean

Prolly is Not Probably on Rawland's Backyard

Foto by PINP

"I've come to really love this climb...I have to say, this part of California is very photogenic..."

Check it out here.

Skol,
Sean

Today is the Day!

Picture sent by a customer whose Stag frameset has landed today. 

All pre-orders will be shipped by Friday. 

Skol,

Sean and Anna

Riding the Stag Here and There

Riding the singletrack fast and easy at China Camp State Park, Marin county. 

The Hetre handled all the rocks and roots just fine. 

Exploring Tamarack Ridge at Sierra National Forest. 

I like how the Stag handles better on the Pacenti Pari Moto.

MG's Nordavinden in the D.C.

"I wanted an attractive steel bike with a responsive feel that I could use for commuting, century bike rides, and the occasional 200k brevet...the Nordavinden is designed to eliminate toe overlap...particularly when riding in the city and do a lot of inevitable stopping and starting...there is versatility in the tire widths I can use on this bike, with the maximum tire width being 35s. I could take this bike on dirt if I wanted, or keep it on the road. It is nice to have choices."

Click here to read the post.

Best,
Sean

The Stag: More (Pictorial) Updates

Click on any of the pictures to start a slideshow. 

Awaiting installation of seat post clamps.

Some of the batch that is being shipped today. 

The color looks more teal this time.

All framesets come with 1" to 1-1/8" stem shims.

The Stag: A Pictorial Update

Click on the picture to embiggen.

Mike's Nordavinden: 32/35mm Tires, 47mm Fenders

Lovely Bicycle! Blog on Nordavinden

I also find the Rawland's distinct handling to be helpful on twisty unpaved rides, which in turn allows me to ride more confidently, relax and enjoy myself more...It is a fine bike and a fun bike...

Read the post here.

Note: Nordavinden uses two different wheel sizes based on frame size. 650b for 54cm; 700c for larger sizes. Visit this link for more information: Nordavinden.

Cheers,
Sean

Miguel's Nordavinden

I've been riding the bicycle for several months and - first things first - it is far and away THE most enjoyable and nicest bike I've ever owned and/or ridden!  Obviously your skills and savoir-faire and inspired enginnering are a large part of that so - so I wanted to thank you.  Other factors that contirbute to the bike's handling are 33mm Jack Brown tires (from Rivendell) - which are truly not only cushy but surprisingly fast too and obviously contribute a lot to the bike's handling...It is equipped with (centerpull) brakes that are powerful, smooth, and stop on a metaphoric dime.  The handlebars are Velo Orange's randonneur model with the slightly flared shape which I'm appreciating more and more as I put in more time...

Note the hammered V-O fenders which, surprisingly, don't add that much weight.  The bag is a beautiful made-in-Korea Zimbale (a very high-end Carradice copy).  Here's a closer angle at the ancient center-pulls, sitting above the front fender.

Another angle showing, among other things, the bar-ends (I've got a fondness for bar-ends), and a resonant brass bell (useful for rush hour on the local bike paths).  The pedals btw are my old and faithful Speedplay Frogs, surprisingly comfortable and efficient. 

Looking from behind, you can see the capacious saddlebag, and also the saddle - a Cardiff, a very very nice Brooks copy, made in the same small Taiwan shop which Velo Orange also uses for their saddles.

A view of the bottom triangle with the Ultegra drivetrain and front derailleur.  Doug set it up with a 3x9 which has plenty of gearing for the local mountains, both the Skiskiyous to the West and the Cascades to the East.  And, damn!  Your decals are beautiful.

Here is a slightly closer look at the incredibly comfortable saddle, the rear center-pulls - and those 700x33.3 Jack Browns.

This is a nice angle of some of the front geometry.  Note the extra long MTB-style brake pads that Doug stuck on, on the theory that they provide more stopping power.  I don't know if that's really true or not, but once or twice, coming down hills at over 35 mph, it's nice to know that when you apply the brakes, you will actually S-T-O-P.  The handlebar tape btw is the relatively cushy Cinelli cork - which is really comfy.

Here's the Ultegra rear derailleur.

A slightly different perspective, looking down in front and on top.  If you look straight down, you can see a little of the check board pattern on the Jack Brown's - which, in addition to going fast doing so comfortably, look cool imho.

And last but not least, the classic rear Weinmann copy Dia-Compe's which I am irrationally fond of.

Did I mention the fact that this is the nicest - and best - bicycle I've ever owned and/or ridden?

It is.

So I owe you my sincere and very real thanks, Sean.

Miguel