What I love II: I think Grant's response is pitch-perfect. I'm a college professor, and I spill my guts into teaching - probably too much, if I am to take seriously my research agenda glaring back at me in the corner. But nevertheless, a student or two will pick something apart about my teaching. Maybe its accurate, usually its unfair. And despite overwhelming positive feedback, I'll remember those two comments for a looooong time. They make me bitter. Make me think the whole endeavor isn't worth it and that I should just work exclusively on research. But I keep coming back and try to improve. I've never seen a more transparent and earnest operation, despite the flack they (and we) get for trying to do the Right Thing. Rivendell is counter- cultural - not just in cycling, but in a globalized economy. Its something I'm proud to be part of - in the little ways I suppose I'm part of it.
Riv runs contrary to the "race to the bottom" logic of contemporary capitalism. Lots of people I know - maybe its my age (35) - are turning to craft and supporting craft producers. In these cases, stuff costs more because its worth it - down the line from the materials, labor, and livelihood supported by craft. I'm all for that. In terms of flow of information, I'm kind of a luddite in these matters. There's fun in the wait for news about something - and fruit born dwelling with things without the constant flow of information. I can't tell you how often I check out the Riv site, this one, and Cyclofiend and look at the same stuff over and over and enjoy it. Its like going to the library as a kid and looking longingly at the interesting pictures of places far away over and over again. Anyway, as with anything one might find interest in, there's always going to be some things that might improve. Esteban On Apr 13, 3:29 pm, William Henderson <william.c.hender...@gmail.com> wrote: > None of these are really groaners - just things I wish Riv would do/do > more of: > - Internally geared bikes. Until they build a full chainguard for a > front derailler, anyway. 'Bout the only thing that bugs me about my > Atlantis is rolling up my pants before I jump on. > - Lighting. It's a complicated and confusing world, and Riv's current > offerings don't seem sufficient. I wish they had more so I could buy > from them and life would be simple and good again. > - Plastic fenders. Really, I just can't love the SKS fenders. > - Panniers. Love my ortliebs, but I'd much rather see Riv carrying > some nice looking, waterproofish, easy to mount MUSA ones. I've heard > something is in the works.. > - s'more books/articles helping people who are trying to get into > touring. > > Oh, and despite all the convincing arguments and silliness of special > shoes, I think I'll always love my clipless petals. That's probably > just me, though. > > As for the loves - I think most of them have been covered by y'all. I > love my Atlantis more every time I ride it, sometimes even when its > just sitting in the house waiting to be take out. Cornering on JB's > is a wonderful thing. > > wc. > > On Apr 13, 6:40 am, Bill Connell <bconn...@gmail.com> wrote: > > > Love: Grant's cycling philosophy and writing style, his willingness to > > put new ideas into the stream, and the general wackiness like the > > ongoing 'e'-less Raven contest. The value of beausage (whether you > > like his word for it or not). I also support the idea of the new > > Taiwanese-built frames, in the hope that it means i can eventually > > afford a Quickbeam-like frame. > > > Meh: Lack of continuity in things like the bike bags. I'm sure this is > > as much as supplier issue as anything, but it would be good to have a > > core lineup of things like the Atlantis. I liked the Speedblends too, > > i thought they were pretty cool, but probably too expensive for the > > younger crowd that might take to them better. > > > -- > > Bill Connell > > St. Paul, MN --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ 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 -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
