Originally Posted by
DIMcyclist
Better emend that to: "Once you buy into the Rivendell mystique, it's hard to do with much of anything else."
And to a limited extent, I'll agree: Rivs ARE nice bikes- and some of them fulfill funky, in-between roles that other bikes don't address (if you really want a double top-tube, you don't have any other choice in an off-the-shelf bike). BUT-- as has been covered in many places on this forum-- there are equally nice alternatives; sometimes even at the same price-point. Nobody ever seems to mention Ebisu when they bring up Rivendell... Does anyone mention Breadwinner or Toei? Toyo? How about cutting out the middleman and going straight to Waterford? And for $4K? C'mon-- for $4K you can get a fully bespoke frame. Hell- you can buy a Singer or a Rene Herse for $4K. At the low end of the pricing scale, how about Soma? VO? Handsome?
Just in terms of pure performance there are A LOT of better bikes on the market. But let's make some fair comparisons-
Is the Roadeo a better (lugged steel) sport bike than the Torelli Delirio or the Serotta Colorado CS? Than a Bob Jackson or a Mondonico Monza?
Is the Atlantis reeeally a better touring bike than a Koga Traveller or a Thorn Nomad? A Miyata 618 or Trek Cirrus? Or- new, for the price- even an LHT?
And you'll answer: "But they're not Rivs." Precisely my point: Rivendells are subject to commodity fetishism of a type I find quite surprising; it's almost cult-like... The fascination with Rivs is an ardor for a specific object, an intoxication with a specific bicycle, not with how well that bike performs its role, or even how it's made or looks. With a Riv, you're also buying into GP's philosophy on life- it comes fully equipped with Nervex lugs AND a meta-narrative; no other bike can offer it's owners so much.
Btw, don't take my critique the wrong way- I don't mind Rivs; I just find their owners a tad overbearing at times, like when the J-Dubs & Hare Krishnas try to sell you a religion.
Disclaimer- I don't own anything Rivendell-
I'm not sure what you're saying in your post- If your argument is "there's a commodity fetishism" around Rivendell- most any brand exists to perpetuate itself. For the same reason people drink Coca-Cola vs "cola" or Mountain Dew vs Mountain Fury. Petersen has built Rivendell around a really simple premise of enjoying cycling for the sake of cycling. It's a whole lot of common sense ideas, it's an attractive aesthetic, it's functional bikes that look pretty. There's not a lot of outlet for *that* type of bicycling- and not on that price point. And maybe that price point thing scares people away and swats back at Rivendell and Petersen. The venom towards that company is amazing.
The argument against "But they're not Rivs" is a non-point. Every choice you make takes more than any one logical point into consideration, and that's not factoring in personal preference. The argument TO get a Rivendell is really: "no other bike can offer it's owners so much" as you put it. Hell, that's a better reason than not buying anything Trek because they're "The Borg."
I happen to like Prairie style architecture, Arts and Crafts and Craftsman style furniture and design, and bicycling for leisure. I also drive a BMW station wagon- so I suppose I'm a prime Rivendell candidate.