I'm sorry, but there is no way on God's Earth that I would pay that kind of insane money for a retro-styled bike when I can buy a used vintage steel bike for a fraction of the price. Heck - I wouldn't trade you any of my older steel frames even up for a Rivendell and I certainly haven't paid that kind of money for any of them.

I respect Rivendell, but I think they're targeting people with so much money that they don't have to care about logic or value. I don't have those kinds of resources, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to bring myself to buy a Rivendell. For that money, I'm going to spend just a bit more and get a custom built frame.