"I have a 1992 XO-1 as well which is clearly a very, very different bike than you'd see Grant make today. Is that because he's a lot more experienced now, or because his priorities have shifted as he's gotten older?"
It's definitely both. Grant is a better, more evolved, and better equipped bike designer now. And his priorities have definitely evolved: He cares about ride quality more than he used to, and he obsesses about design details much more than he did at B-Stone, and he has completely liberated himself from bicycle shapes that appear traditional or conventional to the eye. Grant used to be called a retro-grouch. True retro-grouches dislike most Rivendells today, because they are the polar opposite of conventional nostalgic designs. They are the most advanced, unconventional and fearless shaped bikes out there. I'd possibly include Jones in the same category: a designer who cares only about performance and not about conventional appearance. Rivendell used to be a place to buy conventional looking, 'old looking' bikes. Now it's a place to buy great performing bikes that may be funny looking to some observers, and downright ugly to traditionalists. If bike design hit it's apex in the 1930s France, Rivendells aren't for you. If bike design hit it's apex in 1980s Italy, Rivendells aren't for you, etc. Bill Lindsay El Cerrito, CA On Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 2:53:40 PM UTC-8, Jason Fuller wrote: > > At least from an armchair engineer perspective, and I recognize the > limitations and dangers of doing so, I agree. I've felt for a lot of years > that Grant's designs have matured along with himself. I have a 1992 XO-1 as > well which is clearly a very, very different bike than you'd see Grant make > today. Is that because he's a lot more experienced now, or because his > priorities have shifted as he's gotten older? I tend to think it's as much > the latter as it is the former. As someone in their late 30's, I tend to > prefer his designs from when he was around that age (but no 700c for me, > because 650b is so abundant now) > > > > On Saturday, 16 November 2019 13:55:44 UTC-8, John Phillips wrote: >> >> The current Riv line up just isn't my thing. The older Riv line up >> was perfect for me and 6 years ago I would have been completely happy with >> any of them. I bought a 54cm Hunqapillar first, because I thought it was >> the most adaptable, and I think it's perfect running on any tire between >> 38mm to 55mm. I love that bike. >> >> For me, the current ones don't have the same magic. But that's just me. >> >> I think anyone should ride the new Riv lineup and/or find an older >> model if they wish to see what suits them best. >> >> Everyone is different! >> >> John >> >> >> On Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 1:23:31 PM UTC-8, Bill Lindsay wrote: >>> >>> " but I'd never trade my older Rivs for one" >>> >>> TRADE!?!?!? Hell no! Always buy more bikes. Keep what you've got, and >>> keep buying more. More bikes! >>> >>> :) >>> >>> Bill Lindsay >>> El Cerrito, CA >>> >>> On Saturday, November 16, 2019 at 1:04:34 PM UTC-8, John Phillips wrote: >>>> >>>> From an 85cm PBH viewpoint, I think you would really need to ride >>>> both the old and new Homers to see what you like. >>>> >>>> I have an older 57cm Homer and a 54cm Hunqapillar ,and I've ridden >>>> one of the new longer wheel base Rivs. It was a nice riding bike, but I'd >>>> never trade my older Rivs for one. The geometry of the older models is >>>> perfect for me, but I can only speak for myself. >>>> >>>> John >>>> >>> -- 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 view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/fdc09f74-7dec-4cf1-941c-df82e41d90a2%40googlegroups.com.
