My Rivendell Betty Foy Video

Posted by Dottie at 09:10 bike reviews, video Add comments
Oct 302009

After posting my Oma video I got several requests for a Betty Foy video.  Ask and thou shall receive.  (Wait, did I just compare myself to God?)

Anyway, this is for all those interested in the Rivendell Betty Foy.  It’s a very new bike and there’s not much information out there, but there is another video from Velo Fellow of his wife buying her Betty, so any interested parties should check that out, too.

I wanted to write up a detailed Betty Foy review before posting the video, but the darn job really cuts into my blogging time.  Maybe next week. In the meantime, feel free to subscribe to our YouTube channel. More videos to come little by little, based on our whims and with no organization whatsoever. ;)

 

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  • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

    Dottie I love your videos, there is something mesmerising about them : ) I think that this is a very helpful 3-D tour of the Betty Foy that gives a much better feel for the bike than any collection of images I have seen before.

    Seeing you with this bike is also very helpful to people who have questions about sizes. When I was considering this bicycle, confusion about size was one thing that prevented me from buying it: Normally a 56cm frame would be much too large for me, so I could not understand why Rivendell was suggesting it for my height. But the Betty Foy 56cm frame really is the appropriate size for people over 5’6″. Only after I saw the smaller frame at my local shop in person did I truly believe it. But seeing how you fit on your bike is just as helpful.

    Thanks for these videos; they are really very informative – and funny : )

  • http://www.slowbikemiami.com Daniel M. Perez (Slow Bike Miami)

    What exactly is a “mixte”? (I realize Google is my friend, but in the interest of the info being right with the post.)

    You can immmediately tell the difference in riding posture the moment that you kick off. Oma and the Dutchies would make a headmistress proud of that straight back, while Betty, though not as much as a road/racing/fixie bike, certainly puts you into a leaning position, much like an English roadster.

  • Ian

    Another great video Dottie, you present them really well, I reckon you should go for a career on TV.

  • http://lacyclechic.blogspot.com Cosmo

    I just have to say that I love that you coordinated you shoes with your bike! Your Betty Foy is certainly a beautiful machine.

    • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

      That’s true, the red really sets off the detailing in the lugs!
      Beautiful: )

  • Braxton

    I think your comfort with making videos must be going up because the quality seems to be getting better with each one.

    We have new cork grips on our Madsen and I’ve been trying to decide if I want to coat them or just leave them natural. Cork is pretty durable unprotected so I’m wondering if there is really any reason to coat them aside from aesthetic preferences. Do you have a strong opinion either way?

  • http://www.ecovelo.info Michael B

    Great video! I LOVE that bike. There is no question that a Betty will be my next bike, it’s just a matter of time. ; ) Thanks for taking the time to introduce her!

  • http://www.dfwptp.blogspot.com Steve A

    Your enthusiasm GLOWS! I was glad I watched. A mirror report in the future would be a good addition as well. I’m somewhat mirror-challenged.

  • Jeff Schneider

    Beautiful bike and lovely video!

  • http://none grambev

    I love your videos. : )
    Miss Ya!

  • http://mikespokes.blogspot.com Mike

    Dottie,

    A pleasure to watch. A beautiful bike and a very good match for you. Ride it in good health for many years!

    Mike

  • http://www.totcycle.com Julian

    Nice video! I want to follow your lead with some family bike videos …

    Can we expect a collabo with Mr Chi-City?

  • http://www.fullhandsx3.blogspot.com sara

    I love hearing your voice (not just metaphorically hearing it through your writing) and must comment that your red flats look stunning against Betty’s light blue frame.

    Small question(s)– Do you have review mirrors on both your bikes? How helpful are they?

    Finally, I think I must have missed a posting or two, but didn’t hear that you got a new job. Congrats!

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      Yup, I have mirrors on both of my bikes and would never go without them now. Huge help! I’ll have to do a mirror review post soon.

  • http://knittinglemonade.blogspot.com Kara

    Oh heavens. This video is a very bad influence. I think Betty is my kind of girl. But at six feet, I am too big for her (according to Rivendell’s site). Good news though. I emailed them and they are expect a bigger Betty Foy will be available March-ish. But I also want a Pashley. Sigh. What is a girls supposed to do?

    • miss sarah

      Buy them all! They’re like shoes… you need one for every occasion.

      This is coming from somebody currently banned from buying bikes. I sort of have a problem.

    • http://lovelybike.blogspot.com Lovely Bicycle!

      As a Pash owner, I would say that the largest one would be too small for you as well : ( Which is odd, considering that there are many very tall English women.

      • http://knttinglemonade.blogspot.com Kara

        Blast these long legs! I am in England right now and going to stop in a bike shop to give the biggest Pashley a whirl. We’ll see. I have not given up all hope. I do love it so.

    • Frits B

      Find a Dutch brand. They regularly go to 57 cm and for several frames also to 61 in ladies’ sizes. Utopia in Germany even offers 65 cm (Kranich, a cross-mixte).

  • http://theory.stanford.edu/~arbrad Aaron

    Were the bar-end shifters at one time set up as thumb shifters? If so, why did you make the switch? If not, I must be thinking of another bicycle.

    • http://theory.stanford.edu/~arbrad Aaron

      [*slap forehead* after following link to suggested related post from April] Ah, so you debated it at one time but have always had this setup. I withdraw my questions. I must be thinking of a photo from the Rivendell site.

    • http://letsgorideabike.wordpress.com dottie

      I love the bar end friction shifters.

  • http://townandcountrybiker.wordpress.com cratedigger

    Great video, Betty is a great looking bike and it looks like it rides at least as well as it looks!

  • http://suburbanbikemama.blogspot.com/ MamaVee

    I’m catching up. As you know I found the video before you posted it. It was such a great companion since I had just gone for a test ride on a betty.

  • http://www.velogirls.com velogirl

    how fun! I’ve got a Betty Foy on order through Rivendell right now to replace my Atlantis. I can’t wait!!!

    Lorri

  • kristin

    you are absolutely too adorable!

    great video & what an awesome bike!

  • Marita

    Hi there! I found your blog last night and have become moderately obsessed, and have devoured your videos and posts. Your approach to stylish practical everyday women using bikes as a main form of transportation is exactly what I was looking for! I have found your site incredibly helpful!

    I have decided to purchase a Dutch style bicycle when I return to University in Toronto in July, and have been doing research to learn about the necessary features and what I should look for in a bike. I want a bike that I can easily ride in a city with moderate hills (one that does not seem to have as many bike lanes as some, from the research I have done), and that doesn’t require me to sit as I would on a mountain bike.

    I never liked riding a bike as a teenager, because we only had mountain bikes, and I found the neck and wrist strain uncomfortable, as well as the fact that I had issues getting on and off, and always felt like I was going to fall when trying to stop and start. So, that’s where I’m coming from, and I would like to find a bike that I can hopefully use year-round in Canada.

    I was wondering, which bike do you girls prefer (the Betty Foy, the Azor Oma or the Batavus)? I was initially looking at a Batavus Old Dutch from Curbside Cycle in Toronto, as it seemed to be in my price range, but then I read a disparaging review on ‘Lovely Bicycle!’, and she seemed to feel that the frame and brakes were not up to snuff. I like the fact that the Batavus has the chain and brakes enclosed, as well as the skirt guard. The Betty Foy is the most beautiful bike I have ever seen, but I was wondering, how do you deal with the lack of skirt guard and chain guard etc? Also, is it possible to ride in the winter, or it is not heavy duty enough because it’s not as heavy as the Oma?

    I’m not sure that I love the fact that the Azor Oma is SO heavy, as I will be living in a condo, an I’m not sure that there will be an easy place to store a heavy beast like that! I do like that is is large and sturdy however, as I am 5’10 and nervous about riding in traffic. So, if you could give me a little feedback as to what bike you would recommend having tested and used so many, I would be incredibly grateful (even though I know this is a broad question). Thanks again, and I’m looking forward to more videos and advice on helmets, clothing and bike reviews!

    Marita

    • heater

      Marita, the betty foy would not be a good year round bike for Toronto. It would make a great spring, summer fall bike though. I would hate to see it get all gunked up with salt and goo. I am not very diligent about cleaning my bikes which is not good. For a much lower price you could look around for a vintage raleigh DL-1/tourist with enclosed chaincase. I do not think they are insanely heavy either. You might have to do something about the brakes like install drum brakes or change the steel rims to alloy rims and somehow set up some sort of brakes. The rod brakes are useless and steel rims do not stop when wet. But with the right tires can be a much more affordable year round bike than a dutch oma or pashley.

  • http://cecily.info Cecily

    I think you might’ve mentioned this in another post, but is your Betty the 52cm or 58cm model?

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  • Cornfed Jim

    It looks like an ideal bike for a 60 plus male. I learned how to ride on my sister’s Silver Streak in 1947 as was easy on and off when I was 7. I am now 70 plus and that is the feature I would like have. I know I can’t have my (2) 68 CM Redwood & Atlantis #2, Rivendell’s re brazed to to a Betty Foy. So I will have to see how I can fit a 62 CM Betty Foy into my bicycle stable. Would Rich throw in a offset 36 spoke rear rim for the $2200.00 price. Rich is an excellent wheel builder @ Rivendell.

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