Originally Posted by
corwin1968
I've coveted a Rivendell for about two years now .... I'm just on the concept stage right now, obsessively using BikeCad to play around with ideas. What I'm thinking about may end up being the bastard child of the Hunqapillar and the XO-1.
I coveted a Bridgestone for almost 20 years - I was infatuated with them when I was in university, and only last year discovered Grant Petersen moved onto Rivendell.
Your idea of a cross between the Hunqapillar and the XO-1 is neat. I think the closest you might come is the Sam Hillborne of Rivendell's current frames. I have one, and with the mustache bars, it rides fast. A very comfortable ride; a GREAT bike. It's probably their closest to a gravel grinder/cyclocross style bike. If I had any criticisms, it's that it doesn't handle quite as securely on rough road surfaces, or gravel trails that get too pitted; mind you, I'm no expert cyclist. I'm a fairly strong, reasonably athletic person who rides his bikes fairly assertively, so eventhough the bike is really, really stable, it almost seems I'm a bit too "high up" sometimes and that the bike should be a little heavier (for lack of a better term). I recently picked up a Hunqapillar on sale from Rivendell, and eventhough this size one doesn't have the double top tube, it handles very securely.
So, yes, I can see why you might want a cross between the two!