Originally Posted by
Ebedeley
I live out in the suburbs and ride into downtown, a 35 mile roundtrip commute. For me, I'm looking for a replacement for my beater bike, though I want to ride it hard, I don't want it to be a crappy bike. Usually I ride to work and back and bring it in, which is not problem. My concerns revolve around the peace of mind, say when I'm studying in the library for a few hours, having the bike locked outside. Maybe having to go to a shabby neighborhood or even leaving it parked outside downtown. Riding in inclement weather and scratching the paint dosen't worry at all. So maybe I should go for a little less cheaper bike like an LHT, but this will be my only bike for awhile and I want the panache that comes with having a Rivendell bike.
Rivendell is a good bike indeed, but there are a lot more options and many of them are much less expensive. Trek, Giant, Cannondale and other manufacturers have great bikes for utilitarian/commuting use that are relatively inexpensive. My only bike right now is a Giant Escape that retails for $420 that I ride to death and do everything on . . . However, if you want the Rivendell go for it