Nicely stated. I've considered getting a custom Riv, but am really, really quite happy with my '03 51 cm Atlantis. It's mainly my commute bike, but now that I'm between gigs, I'm enjoying it as my main (and only) bike for daily rides around Seattle and occasional centuries before I start getting into doing brevets after next season. That's it, one bike, and a great one at that. Yeah, I'd like to get an AHH, but can't justify the cost right now because I'm planning to upgrade the Atlantis with new wheels with a Phil Touring hub on the rear, and a SON hub up front, a Phil BB, Paul canti brakes, new Honjo fenders, an alternate bag setup for brevets instead of my Baggins Hoss and panniers that I use for commuting. Just replaced my Nitto Dream bars with the Nitto noodle.
Anyway, as Grant has stated somewhere in a Reader or on their website: "a frame is just a platform for parts." And I think I read somewhere in BQ Jan Heine stating something to the effect that riding a bike that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye is just as important as the sum of its parts; it makes for an enjoyable experience. Anyway again, after owning and riding my Atlantis for over eight years, I'm really close to getting it dialed in for how I want it to look and perform; I think it's a process of getting to know the bike and figuring out what you need to make it comfortable for riding. The more I get it dialed in, the more I love it, and the more I question my ego when it comes to getting the AHH. We'll see who wins out. ;) There are a lot of good builders out there, but when I was looking for touring bike back in late '02, I discovered Rivendell doing a web search, and their philosophy resonated with me and I was sold. And don't have a complaint in the world about my decision. I source most of my component (and ideas for components) from Grant, et al. They're really great to work with--patient, knowledgeable, no B.S. After-sale customer support makes a lot of difference when you buy something that you think is important enough to have. And Grant has that down pretty much pat. -Steve DeMont Seattle On Jul 22, 5:08 am, Michael Hechmer <mhech...@gmail.com> wrote: > Two contradictory pieces of learned wisdom about this. > > First, the ego wants wanting more than it wants having. So, as soon as we > satisfy a want, the ego move on to wanting something else. If that weren't > true our consumer driven economy would pretty much collapse. Three months > after getting a new Riv road bike the owner will read in fantastic custom > bike review in Bicycle Quarterly and the ego will start wanting again. Some > people get swept away and some hang onto reality. > > Second, virtually all product lines exist along a price / performance line, > and somewhere that line has a sharp bend in it. Up to that curve additional > spending yields significant advantages, after the curve the buyer has to > spend increasingly large amounts of money to get less and less advantage > (except perhaps to the irrational ego). For example, reducing the weight of > a bike from 27 to 26 lbs without sacrificing strength cost very little, but > reducing it from 17 to 16 lbs. will cost quite a bit more. > > Rivendell bikes are pretty much positioned near the top of the break on the > bicycle frame cost - performance curve. Unless you have some special need, > like an unusual body shape or unique high milage application it doesn't make > a lot of sense to move up the curve on a new frame. But that is not > universally true for all the other parts. Many of the components Riv > supplies as stock are good parts with good cost - performance trade offs but > are still closer to the bottom of the break in that curve. So the buyer > would be much wiser to gradually upgrade components - hubs & rims, cranks > and brakes. Over the years I have upgraded my stock Rambouillet - White > hubs, Open Pro rims, White VBC crank, Paul's Racer M brakes. The bike is > now lighter, stronger, more responsive, and much easier to maintain. > > Now all I have left to do is ride the bike and control my ego. > > Michael, > take care of Self; it's one of a kind and irreplaceable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
