I'm starting to see a pattern. The comparison between Apple and Rivendell has already been brought up. There's spandex vs non-spandex. Then there's the Prius.

What does the Prius have to do with this? Some people are turned off by the Prius because it looks like a Prius and not like a regular car. They might want a hybrid but don't want to be a rolling advertisement for environmental advocacy.

Other people love the fact that the Prius looks different and are happy to make a statement by driving a car like that.

I'm not saying that the motivation is the same for people who choose to wear spandex is the same as wanting a Prius. My point is that we often get frustrated when whatever motivates us doesn't seem to have the same effect on somebody else, - even when we have what we consider very practical reasons for why it should.

To take an example from my work, I could blather on and on about why investing in insulation and installing efficient heating or a/c makes far more sense than putting solar panels on your roof. Yet many folks would much rather do the latter. The goal might appear to be the same for both of us, - reduced use of fossil fuels, but it's not, at least not entirely.

Same with a Rivendell. Someone might look at a Rivendell Atlantis and decide that it's an LHT with fancy lugs. What a waste of money. To other people a Riv is more than just nice lugs.

To Grant riding a bike should be a low energy and easygoing way to commute. If there's any additional work or inconvenience involved over driving, you shouldn't be doing it, or you're doing it wrong. To me if the only difference between driving and riding is that I'm slowly pedaling, well you've just taken half the advantages and most of the fun out of it.