Originally Posted by
futuregrace
From the time I've spend reading the forums the brands with the biggest cult like following seem to be Rivendell first, followed by Surly. As I seek to purchase a bike this honestly has an impact on my thinking. I'm not sure I will pay what it cost to own a Rivendell. But I've found I really like both the Jamis Aurora and the Surly LHT. The Surly though seems to have a cult following which leads me to believe I'd be most satisfied with that. I've not seen any Jamis cultish following which makes me wonder why.
Hang out with my friends, and then say there's no cult... Four of us own Auroras, and at least one has described it as his "favourite physical possession." I also love my Aurora, but have not tested the Surly for comparison.
Surly is very successful at marketing, and do make good bikes. They're quite specialised and make only a small number of models (6 complete models, 10 frames), all of them excellent for their function. Jamis also makes good bikes, but has wider selection and - most importantly - also builds some down-market bikes. Not department store level, but they do make bikes that are cheap by proper bike shop standards. That affects the brand's reputation and so it's unlikely a company like Jamis would get the cult following, something that's generally reserved for companies serving a narrower market.