I greatly admire Grant Petersen, but sometimes I feel like Rivendells are effectively gentrified comfort hybrids
by chiboulevards
I greatly admire Grant Petersen, but sometimes I feel like Rivendells are effectively gentrified comfort hybrids
by chiboulevards
8 Comments
probably not far off. but if that means they are practical & comfortable everyday bikes that are also beautiful then i’m cool with it
We can really make the word gentrified mean anything we want huh
Depends on the model.
I don’t think you’d think that after comparing those two examples on a test ride. Not just the ride quality difference between a handmade bike and a BSO (which would be huge) but the rider position is quite different when you look at them. Look at the relative positions of bars and saddle.
And the problem with that is…?
This is a great comparison! I laughed out loud. If you slammed the stem on the top bike they would be even more similar. I bet the riv is lighter and feels nicer to ride tho. But I bet that the frame up top could build up to a pretty cool xbike with some good components and if you plopped a rigid fork onto it and some nice tires.
It’s not gentrified because it’s not replacing the lower cost bikes.
Some Rivendell models are upright “hybrids” designed to take larger tires, fit certain aesthetics, and are built with higher quality materials to a higher quality.
It’s a premium product for people who want to experience higher quality bikes.
I spent 15 years working in a bike shop that sold aluminum hybrids like the one on the top pic. Trek, specialized, Gary Fisher, Breezer. I can tell what’s similar between those bikes. They’re both yellowish, and they’re both bikes. I currently sell and don’t even particularly like the Clem, but having ridden one, it’s fast, stiff, stable, well made, very well thought out. An aluminum hybrid is not stiff, it’s wobbly, the fork weighs a ton, the bars are way too high for good handling, and you’d be bummed on a ride longer than 5 miles. The Clem would be and is comfortable on day long rides over a variety of terrain. One of the two bikes will be rideable and useful in 25 years. The other will be in a weedy parking lot behind the grocery store collecting rust with a blown fork and a fried left shifter.