Originally Posted by SweetLou

That would depend on what you mean by bicycle. If you mean the complete bike, then the parts do come from all over. If you mean the frame, then that would not be true. Some of their frames are made overseas and some are made here. Their custom frames are made by Mark Nobilette and their more expensive frames are made by Waterford, in Wisconsin.

As for a poor man's Rivendell, I haven't found anything. I have not seen such relaxed geometries on any newer bike. For example, a 48 Sam Hilborne has a 71.5 seattube angle. The closest I've seen is my Miyata that has a something around a 72 degree angle. That is rare for bikes and especially rare for smaller frames. Today, it would be hard to find a 50cm bike with anything less than a 74.5 degree seattube angle. Specialized doesn't make anything less than a 75.5 seattube angle for their small bikes. This is just way too steep for my comfort. Even the Surly LHT 50cm frame with 26" wheels has a 74 degree angle.

I am much more comfortable on a Rivendell designed frame than anything else I've tried, a close second is my Miyata and Trek 520.