The bikes that I tend to be interested in are the ones that are designed and produced by people who know exactly what they want from a bike and are not influenced by popular trends. Obviously Rivendell is a prime example, but there are other similar sized brands out there operating the same way. The most pertinent example for me is Stooge Cycles out of the UK producing fat tire trail bikes that the owner, Andy, wanted to see in the world. While I am happy to ride my two Rivendells well into the woods, in all sorts of weather, what Andy is producing bridges the gap perfectly between Rivs and modern MTBs for me. They are rigid, use establish standards, but are capable enough to ride steep and technical MTB trails.
I also appreciate Black Mountain Cycles and Stridsland for the same reason: run by a single person who has a very clear vision for what they like to ride. While I don't have a bike designed by either of them at this time, I do have a Crust Wombat which was designed by Garrett at Crust Bikes, and this bike exudes the same qualities: it's absolutely a no-compromise expression of the designers' vision, regardless of marketability, and the ride experience is better for it. It took me almost a year to fully appreciate it, but now it's irreplaceable. -- 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 [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/b9913390-2fce-4df8-9f8e-ca419cf7d082n%40googlegroups.com.
