I own several Rivendells and love them all!

I bought my Rambouillet as I was looking for a fast bike that I could use for ultralight loaded touring with good tyre clearance and it was one of the few options available. The build quality is excellent, I like the lugs and I feel great zipping alone on tour. It's nice to be comfortable getting out of the saddle on hills and being able to throw the bike from side to side. The long reach (some call them standard reach) caliper brakes were a major spec I was looking for as they allow for 32mm tyres and fenders while still giving excellent stopping power.