Unfortunately, perhaps, it doesn't sound that cryptic to me. I am still debating between getting another Clementine or going in for a Hillibike. I do hope the Longbolts/Slugstone/Willsens get made. I do hope Rivendell finds a way to keep going, even after I get what will almost certainly be my last new bike.
With talk of ABS-assisted steering for so-called e-bikes, Grant's nightmare of bikes becoming not-bikes continues apace. It is already getting difficult to sell bicycles without disc brakes anywhere other than big box stores. Nobody sells them without indexing. Many recreational riders with disposable income have gone to electronic shifting. As electric motors get lighter and smaller, more and more bikes will be equipped with them, for when you want to extend your commute, or keep up with friends, or get home fast when you're tired. I saw a video for Shimano electric assist Mt. biking that was truly creepy--these guys were flying on trails going as fast as if they were on motocross machines. The irony that hillybikes.com is a site for electric bikes has probably added to the end is nigh mood. At some point, though not voluntarily, all the technotopia will stall and wither. It might not be all that long from now, but likely too long for Rivendell. swan song *noun* a person's final public performance or professional activity before retirement. On Saturday, June 15, 2019 at 12:51:08 AM UTC-4, Joe Bernard wrote: > > In other Blahg news (about the Gus bikes), this was cryptic, eh? > > "I feel like these bikes and this brochure are kind of swan songs. I > really want them out there, I want us to have designed and produced them, > in whatever quantities make sense. I don't want collectors to buy them, I > want riders to ride them, and I want them in 40 years to be regarded as > good bikes of their time. All 100 or 200 of them, or whatever we do." > -- 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. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1e95ed49-9928-4590-b2c0-e0b7acd2d88c%40googlegroups.com. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.