Grant Petersen

Grant Petersen
Born	1954 (age 69–70)
Occupation	bicycle designer
Years active	1984-present
Notable work	Bridgestone XO series
Signature

Grant Petersen is a bicycle designer, author, and the founder and owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works.^[1] He was U.S. marketing director for Bridgestone Cycle (U.S.A.), Inc. during the 1980s and 1990s, where he designed the XO series of bicycles.^{[1][2][3][4][5]} He is known for promoting traditional bicycle technology and materials such as wide tires, fenders, leather saddles, and lugged steel frames with relaxed geometry over modern, lightweight, racing technology.^[3][5]

Born in 1954,^[5] Petersen grew up near Berkeley, California.^[3] He raced bicycles in his 20's, and at the apex of his career edged out fellow racer and Olympian Norman Alvis at the Mt. Diablo hill climb in 1982.^[2][4] He worked for a time at the Berkeley REI.^[4]

In 1984, Petersen began working for the U.S. bicycle division of Bridgestone Tires in San Leandro, California^[4] in data entry and customer support.^[3] He later became a marketing director and product manager^[6] and in the early 1990s promoted the development of fat-tired road bikes inspired by emerging mountain bike designs.^[3] From his time at Bridgestone, Petersen is known for developing the popular XO series of bicycles.^[5] Bridgestone ended its U.S. operations in the fall of 1994.^[2]

In 1994 after leaving Bridgestone, Petersen turned down job offers from bike companies, Specialized and Trek,^[4] to found Rivendell Bicycle Works out of his garage.^[1][3][5] There, he continued to hone his ideals of traditional, high-quality, all-around bicycle designs.^[3]

Petersen has been a contributor to major bicycling and outdoors magazines and has written four books.^[5] The first, Roads to Ride - A Bicyclist's Topographic Guide to Alameda, Contra Costa and Marin Counties, written in collaboration with Mary Anderson, his future wife,^[4] was published in 1984^[7] (the dedication reads "Dedicated to B.F. Skinner - who must be the most misunderstood person of all time - and Bob Dylan. It's the least I can do and the only thing I can think of.") The second, Roads to Ride South - a Bicyclist's Topographic guide to San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz Counties, with John Kluge, was published in 1985.^[8] The third was titled Just Ride and was published in 2012.^[6] The fourth was titled Eat Bacon, Don't Jog and was published in 2014.^[9]

Petersen is a regular bike commuter to his shop located in Walnut Creek, California. He married Mary Anderson in 1985 and has two daughters, Kate and Anna.^[5]

• Rivendell Bicycle Works official site