Samkl-

Firstly, thanks for this thread. I’ve enjoyed the perspectives of those who have responded. I may be a newbie to this forum, but I’m a 58yr old cooter who still owns his first “pro” road bike, purchased in 1977 while working in my hometown bike shop during high-school youth. Agreed, the Rivendell you purchased looks great. Not familiar with the brand, I googled, then spent 10 minutes looking at their website. Hell... I think you are missing the point and shouldn’t be repulsed, miffed or whatever it is that drives you crazy about the brand. They are a young company with young people who are seemingly successful at keeping the heritage of craftsman-built steel frames alive. In a time of blue-tooth shifting Taiwanese rolling brand billboard bikes, I find Rivendell refreshing. Would I ride a bike with drop bars and a super high-ride stem? No, but that’s ok. You appear to be young enough to give a damn about a company’s mission statements, or marketing maneuvers. Advise: Ignore that and build the bike—see if the relaxed geometry fits your needs and enjoy it. If you haven’t, learn to embrace and enjoy the stark differences between old school and current technologies. This forum’s audience is among the 5% in the world who might actually recognize or care about the differences between a retro Rivendell frame or vintage Albert Eisentraut, Strawberry, Keith Lippy or Glenn Erickson frames. It’s all good!