I was looking for a serious touring bike but the offerings from Trek, Specialized, etc., were all going to require some change to meet my desires. Then I read a road test in Bikecentennial (now Adventure Cycling) by John Schubert. His bottom line was if you wanted a serious touring bike that you didn't have to fiddle with, the Atlantis was it. Rivendell proved to be so helpful in specing parts that I wanted that it was a simple choice. 20 years ago, the premium for an Atlantis vs a Trek 520 was was only a few hundred dollars & I was buying the bike to ride forever (my forever; the bike will outlast me). 20 years later & thousands of touring miles show I made the right choice.
I did know what a lug was but only because I thought that's how all bikes were joined. But then it had been 20 years since I'd bought my previous bike. dougP On Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 7:06:08 PM UTC-8 Roberta wrote: > Funny, I just responded to Laura's thread and put my story in there. > > Steel frame > Rim brakes > Upright riding habit > > I was riding a 1990 Specialized Hard Rock mountain bike that I liked but > didn't love any longer and wanted something more comfortable. I knew I > wanted upright riding habit to alleviate my neck pain and rim brakes. I > tested every bike in my city that fit my on-paper requirements. After a > dozen rides, I realized I liked the ride of steel framed bikes (including > my current Hard Rock) over aluminum. I couldn't understand the value of > complex disk brakes on a simple road bike. > > Next came internet searches for steel framed bikes. I then read a forum > Q&A and the group agreed that the Betty Foy was the best bike ever made. > Who is this Betty Foy? Eventually it lead me to this group and Rivendell. > I had never heard of Grant, Rivendell, XO-1 or Bridgestone before. I read > everything I could about Rivendell on the internet, their website and this > forum. I devoured "Just Ride." Our philosophies jived. I found my > "people." I am so grateful. > > I called Rivendell and spoke with Grant, who at the time I had no idea who > is was, but he was so nice and informative. > > Also, and this is important, I was able to drive to a dealer and test ride > many Riv models, not just see frames and geometry charts. This was BIG for > me, as a non bike-knowledgeable person, whose most expensive bike purchase > was $300. Yes, I was now willing to spend more on this one bike than all my > bike purchases put together for my entire lifetime. Riding my Rivs have > made me so happy. > > BTW, I had no idea was a lug was until this group. > > Roberta > ex-Joe Appaloosa > current AHHilsen > current Platy > > On Sunday, December 12, 2021 at 3:53:10 PM UTC-5 aeroperf wrote: > >> >> I see Laura B’s thread about Susie vs. Platy, and Iconley’s timeline with >> 15 Riv bikes, and so I thought I’d ask: >> >> What made you buy your first Rivendell bicycle? >> >> Not “What do you like about Rivendell bicycles”, or “Why did you buy a >> second one?”, but why did you buy your first? >> >> >> In my case >> I wanted steel, because I liked the feel over aluminum (carbon was just >> starting). >> I wanted lugged steel, because I think I think a lugged steel bike is >> awesomely pretty. >> I got to ride a friend’s Sam Hillborne in 2010, and it fit like a glove, >> and I remembered that. >> So when I retired in 2014, I bought a Sam. >> >> Now I could go on about how I love my Sam, but that’s not the point of >> this. It’s to find out why you bought your first. >> >> Did you Google “Rivendell” one day and stumble into the bicycle shop >> instead of the Tolkien book? >> Did you want a bicycle that was at home on dirt roads, where the 24mm >> tires of a good used 80’s road bike just couldn’t cut it? >> Do you think Grant Petersen is a bicycle god, and you’d buy anything that >> he designs, once you could afford it? >> Are you into the “waxed canvas and square taper” kind of mindset? >> Did you get a Riv because it was a boutique bike, or in spite of that? >> >> Difficulty- no pictures, unless it is of a Riv in a tree with “A guy told >> me I could have this for free, if I climbed up and got it”. >> > -- 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/bcf2a362-95b1-4497-9a5e-f42c74e0c65dn%40googlegroups.com.
