I have been thinking much the same things you all have been saying. I know I was surprised when Rivendell changed so much of their line to the longer wheel base. This seemed like a huge risk for a financially challenged business, when offering only one longer wheel base model would have seemed a safer option. I remember Rivendell asking for financial help while I was waiting for my Hunqapillar frame to be built. I helped out then, and have since, but it wasn't very confidence inspiring while waiting 8 months for my first Riv to arrive. The longer wheel base frames are cool if you keep your bike in the garage, never need to negotiate narrow hallways, nor stairs, nor light rail & trains, or use bike racks on cars, but would not be practical for me. But I need to do all those things, and a bike longer than my 2013 54cm Hunqapillar just would not be practical. And I think for a growing number of consumers, the new longer bikes are also too long to be practical.
I understand the changes. I've ridden one of the appaloosa prototypes back in 2013. It was cool, but the Hunqapillar already had a very stable touring geometry, that's why I bought one, and I still love its ride. In fact, if I ever lost it to an accident or theft (knock on wood), I would seriously consider paying custom bike prices to duplicate it. For me, that bike is absolutely bloody perfect. Leah, if you find you love your older Riv's more than the new ones, just follow your heart. 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/93f8a714-57e8-4b13-a21e-74d9501e0221%40googlegroups.com.