Hi Leah, I only respond here as I do sincerely feel your pain, at least that something-like-pain that comes from expecting one thing and getting another. With your real life experience with the mixte type of Rivendell's, you should have had the most knowledge and yet you were still caught off guard. It occurs to me you are at somewhat of a disadvantage, in that you know what the bikes have been, how they ride, what you love, all of that and more. Someone buying their first and possibly only Rivendell would not know the difference, with nothing to compare to.
I suppose if I had one Rivendell marketing wish, it would be that any changes made to an existing design would be clearly published, easily found, and with the necessary geometry or specification numbers to compare. And there could be a short explanation of the changes and the hoped for improvements. If changes are made, they should at least have a clear way to distinguish between v1/v2/v3... And any and all of that should not be buried in blagh's, blogs, side comments or anywhere else where you have to be in the know to find it. Not that I am any kind of expert but I do have three somewhat modern day Rivendells - a Cheviot, an Appaloosa, and a Hilsen - all built up well and dialed in for their intended use. I do love the bikes, I do, I do. But I study the specs, I try to understand the geometry and sizing, and even then it has felt like a gamble at times. And you are absolutely right about the real-world considerations... Not fitting in or on available bike racks, public or private, is a problem! Not being able to carry a bike down a set of stairs and make the corner at the bottom can be a problem! I am absolutely sure the new long (and then longer...) designs are more stable in a lot of situations, most specifically in the hills outside Walnut Creek, CA, but I do not have many such hills... but I do have stairs and I do like to take my bike other places to explore. And I would love to know enough to just be able to recommend Rivendells (new or used) to anyone asking. But, yeah.... I mean, are the next run of Appaloosa's at least mostly the same, or close enough to advise someone based on mine? Are the Cheviot's changing? Will the Clem's change more? Someone finds a Hillborne for sale... but what year, what design? Anyway, enough words from me. I do love the Rivendell bikes I have and certainly agree with almost all of the vision behind the designs, the steel frames, the handling, the quality, the notion that someone should be able to work on and customize their own bike. But still... Let it be known though that I love the fact you found Rivendell and ride your bikes like you do! Thanks for the riding, the reports, the bike decorating, all of it! Best to you this new year, Bob Lovejoy Galesburg, IL -- 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/7d53a349-6868-42ea-8815-ff0cf86ea1a3%40googlegroups.com.
