History
Petersen worked from 1984 to 1994 on bicycles and catalogues for the U.S. division of Bridgestone Cycle, Japan's largest bike maker. Bridgestone closed the U.S. office after 10 years when the dollar-to-yen exchange rate fell. Petersen, then 40, started Rivendell with $89,000 of retirement money, savings, loans, and stock. The company worked from a garage for two years. It now has 5,000 square feet (460 m2).
The name came from the mountaineering equipment company, Rivendell Mountain Works (RMW), which took its name from the fictional refuge in The Lord of the Rings. Several of their products have Tolkien-derived names; it is not known what arrangement they have with the Tolkien Estate, if any.
The first custom frames were built by Waterford Precision Cycles. Later frames were built by Joe Starck, then by Curt Goodrich and Mark Nobilette. Currently, Mark Nobilette is the only custom builder of Rivendell frames.
Read more about this topic: Rivendell Bicycle Works
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