A little over a year after its closure RIH restarted with van der Kaaij’s involvement. Wim partnered with Lester Jansen and Lorenzo Milelli in early 2014. They would absorb Wim’s extensive knowledge and skills. With Wim as the tutor, RIH Sport Amsterdam reopened its doors in North Amsterdam.

Sadly, Wim van de Kaaij died suddenly at the age of 77 on 12 December 2014. He was in the shop earlier that day. His wife Rie passed away two years earlier. She had served as the reserve oma (backup grandmother) to all at the Amsterdamse Baanwielerschool.

The business then passed on to a new owner, Ab Winsemius. He and frame builder Dries Baron continue the tradition of hand-built road, track, and randonneur bicycles of Reynolds 853 steel…de mooiste fietsen. Their website generously shares a portion of what must be the largest collection of RIH archival material.

Over in Venlo, the Verberkt family’s third generation still owns and operates RIH-Cové. After phasing out the replica RIH’s they turned to building well-finished quality electric bicycles. Its a small firm in a rapidly expanding market. RIH, een klasse apart.

Finally, there is yet another RIH. It has no apparent connection to the Dutch RIHs. Vienna is home to Radsport Industrie Hamedl (Hamedl Cycling Industry), abbreviated as RIH. Founded in 1933 by Tour of Austria co-founder Franz Hamedl, Sr., the firm is now in its third generation of family ownership. They began by building high-quality RIH frames and during the late fifties and sixties also built frames branded as Girardengo. Sometime in the 1980s they stopped building frames but continued as a bike retailer.