Grant Peterson has designed bikes for Bridgestone and Rivendell for over twenty years, yeah, he knows NOTHING about bike design compared to the bank accountants and shoe store clerks who post here in "Bike Forums".

There are aspects of bike design that are matters of opinion (does a red bike look "faster" than a black bike) and there are aspects of bike design that have been well established facts for over a century. Those facts include how the flexibility (or lack thereof) of a tube is influenced by its diameter and wall thickness. How the length of the wheelbase and the head angle and seat tube angle affect a bikes stability and handling.

Grant Peterson did not invent these facts. He simply uses well known principles to design bikes that ride well, are stable, and that are built to last for a lifetime of riding enjoyment.

My favorite bikes are the bikes of the mid-80's that are very similar in design to a 2007 Rivendell. They are designed to be comfortable and durable.

I also have a "all carbon" mega-buck bike that is several pounds lighter, and incorporates those aspects of "modern" design that are supposed to be vast improvements over the classic steel bikes of twenty years ago. The all-carbon bike is not "faster", because pushing a 210 rider and bike down the road at 20 mph versus pushing a 205 pound rider and bike down the road is a function of aerodynamics and wind resistance, not a function of riding a 22 pound bike versus riding a 17 pound bike.

My "modern" carbon bike's ultra-short wheelbase, short chainstays, steep head tube and steep seat tube angles insure that I finish a two hour ride tired, sore, and beat-up. On a Rivendell style bike, after a two hour ride, the rider feels like starting a four hour ride...not because of the steel frame and fork, but because of its classic geometry, and classic "fit".

Is it possible to design a bike with a carbon frame and fork that rides as nicely as a classic steel bike? Yes, but comfortable, properly fitted bikes have become scarce, as the industry concentrates on selling pretend racing bikes to pretend racers.