Rivendell MUSA Review...

Since mentioning that I gifted myself with some new garments recently I have been sorta hit hard with email about those purchases.  Important for me [and I assume some others as well-judging from the email] is something you can wear that works nicely and as intended on a bike and off your bike without making you look [or feel] like a Stormtrooper from Star Wars [refer to photo top right corner of blog, Thank You].  However, and maybe the most important part of why I received so many emails is, "Fit".  Being large and finding something to wear is difficult enough [unless of course 'finding something to wear' includes and/or means: huge sheets of colored textiles that look like shit, are made like shit but yet for some bizarre reason cost 2 to 3 times what other fashions cost that are made better, look better and are... well, err, actually fashions] but for bike stuff... well unless you max out at 2XL in the fleece world for tops, or 3XL in spandex for shorts from Borah [and sorry... but I don't wanna see anything that fits in 3XL in Spandex ever-including me, Thank You.  I respect the Natural World too much to do that], you're shit out of luck.

Until now.

Rivendell Bicycle Works started a line of clothing [a seersucker shirt, shorts, knickers and long pants to be exact] a year-maybe longer-ago.  They called it MUSA for Made in the United States of America.  Gets right into your Bob Seger/Bruce Springsteen jones doesn't it?  But hey... you gotta name stuff something, so why not name stuff what it is, right?  Right.

I bought the long pants, two pairs precisely.  One in 2XL... the other 3XL cause I wasn't sure how the fit would be and I knew I would initially [for Winter] be using them with other garments for layering against the cold.  The 3XL are roomy for sure but actually pretty damn enormo on me, yep even with wool tights/long johns underneath [also from Rivendell... review to come later, maybe-but I love them MUCH, seriously].  So really I've been in the 2XLs mostly with wool underneath for riding as well as for lounging around the crib, cooking, being Dad, being Husband... being fabulous [as usual].

I'll shut up now and do a pictorial on them with comments [because HEY, everyone LOVES the pictures... "SHOW US MORE PICTURES!!!"].

That's them, the Rivendell MUSA pants in 2XL.  Nylon fabric for slippery goodness on the saddle [and I really like that too-makes for easier transitions from nose to rear of saddle when accelerating or maintaining speed, and most notable for me: they don't bunch up or sit weird when I climb out of the saddle on hills and then sit back down like other materials did and do-namely sweatpants].  Nice color too... Grant calls it Butternut w/Olive [for accents and the pockets-you'll see that soon] and we cook and eat loads of Butternut Squash so I know Butternut.  He's right, it's Butternut colored.  Maybe a little more orange in it would be a little more Butternutty... but not by much. 

The Backdoor-40 view.  Two roomy pockets w/buttons.  One thing I noticed right away, they are cut in the hips for sitting but not just any kind of sitting mind you, sitting on a saddle which is quite different than plunking your rear quarters onto a chair.  A saddle eats up more fabric i.e. 'space' just by its very nature of getting pushed up into your Unmentionables, and usually makes fabrics/material pull very tight around your hips due to that.

The Business Side.  Olive elastic belt with a nice clip, easy to adjust, a touch of elastic in the waist too.  You can wear them Homey-style or pulled tight and snug right up to your nips and probably make your way into a Lutheran Pot-Luck Supper with no real detection.  Go large or go home.

Pocket View.  Nice olive color offsets the butternut tastefully and even has some red stitching which makes me feel fancy & festive, okay... and sassy too.

Ahhh, you probably wondered when I was gonna do the infamous [and patented too] LFoaB Pocket Depth Test huh?  Yep, right now, Chief.  That there is one drumstick-no not the eatin' kind fool... the playin' kind, that's 16" long and made outta Canadian Maple.  That pocket is mighty DEEP.

Or you could go with 2 large-sized bicycle water bottles, no problem for the MUSA pants.  Easy Peasy.  **  'Props' to Bob Brown Cycles for permission to use his bottles for this review ;-)  **

Or even two of these.  Hey, what are those anyway?!?!

Holy Persnickety Snaggery!!  Thems is Paul Component Engineering touring & neo-retro canti-brakes, I'll be pitchforked in the gaddockery!  Review to come soon.

But[t] probably the single coolest thing about these pants is the 'Diamond Crotch'.  Not only makes 'em comfy for smooth/seamless riding on a saddle but, for a larger fella like me, because they aren't traditionally seamed down and over the Spanish Onions, you got some xtra room period.  And that is Good. 

Last snap... and they are very lightweight, thin [like I said... use them in the cold WITH wool or other things] and therefore, roll as tight as a Mummy-style sleeping bag, 'cept they are 9 times smaller.  And that was a 3 Second Roll by the way... I didn't even really try to roll 'em tight.  They'd go much tighter i.e. smaller if need be.  And you can even use the velcro ankle cinchers [threw ya a curve ball there didn't I... not mentioning those till now eh?] to hold the roll tight.

Price: 40 smackers.  Not bad considering they are thoughtfully designed and smartly made right here in America, Fuck Yeah [nod to South Park].

In the end, 3 Thumbs Up

Thoughts:  Yep, a couple.  Hopefully make a heavier version too [I know Grant has mentioned this]... and get the seersucker shirts sized up a notch or two, dammit!

Peace & Axle Grease...

Comments

[Bill]

3XL? I saw that and got excited. Went to their web site and only found XL. Sent an email asking about it and was told they only go up to XL. I don't understand.

Bill

[Scott]

Bill-

Their website does only show up to XL but their print catalog has them offered up to 3XL.

Regarding your email... sure you didn't send that one to a Tolkien 'Rivendell' fansite instead of Rivendell Bicycle Works? ;-)

They have them at Rivendell... just call.

-Me

[Bill]

You can call if you like. I always found it frustrating to deal with them. The web site is reportedly unupdated (Is that a word?). So I emailed "miesha@rivbike.com". Speaking of the web site, I said when they announced it was being updated that it would take a year, looks as if I was optimistic. I have an Atlantis that I got from them, but now it's the last place I go to look for stuff.

Bill

[Scott]

Why would I call, I have them [which I accomplished by-yep you guessed it-calling them].

Sounds like you don't want them... and you can't get them anywhere else so there ya go.

You want Bike Nashbar easy kinda purchases, you know where to go... you want the good stuff, you gotta work hard for it, really hard: pick up a phone. ;-)

-Me

[Gunner]

You need to learn anger control. I suggest "The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius". He says that every day you will meet people who are greedy, envious, stupid, etc. You shouldn't be angry with them, because they are ignorant of "The Good". It isn't good for your health to be so angry. Why do you care what others ride or wear? If you have found "The Good' good! If they have not found it, perhaps some day they will.

[Scott]

Bill asked me to call about something he wants and is interested in... that's absurd, no?

I wasn't angry at all... I am far less angry than you think I am.

I'm also betting you're far more able to have a sense of humor and understand/comprehend wit & irony than your reply suggests.

-Me