I see where anonomous is coming from and think (he) has a point. There is/would be/should be a market for the type of bike he describes: Riv geometry, ride and utility without the lugs, paint, etc. But doesn't this already exist? Check out Soma, frames for under $800. I'm assuming the $800 reference in the post was for frame only. If for a whole bike, that's a bit more of a challenge. And what of the Bleriot? It went for $750 not so long ago, fully lugged, beautiful paint and extensive graphics. I'm just putting out some of my observations, not saying what Riv should do. Just saying that it's a direction they could go, with a lower entry level and perhaps a different series name. And after all, Grant did design the Soma San Marcos.
On Monday, February 5, 2018 at 11:02:07 AM UTC-5, anonomous wrote: > > > My dream Rivendell would be any of their lineup that stripped off all the > expensive aesthetic luxuries, while preserving all the function. Same > tubes, same geometry, same magical ride. NO lugs, fancy paint, or complex > decals. Just Tig welded and powdercoated a single color. > > Imagine all the camping function of an Atlantis, for like $800, of which > Riv got to keep 20% instead of 5% or whatever their margins are now. In > terms of geo and function Rivendell are literally decades ahead of their > time. The bikes are incredibly desirable to young riders. But, > frustratingly, their prices are jacked up sky high via a frankly bizarre > fixation on superficial luxury, and we just can't afford them! Like, OK, > custom made investment-cast lugs are nice looking, but they add zero > function to the bike while costing a fortune. Meanwhile the company is > constantly on the brink of bankruptcy, presumably due to low volume and low > margins. > > Maybe you think that all the superficial luxuries are part of Rivendell's > core brand. Maybe! But for me the real interest is the incredibly refined > and optimized geometry and construction. Lugs aren't worth anything to me, > personally. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
