What I think is being neglected here is that Riv doesn't actually make frames. The companies that make Riv-brand frames make frames for other brands too. Most of those other brands use TIG welding, which is fine for them. But then Riv comes along, with a relatively small order, and the guys and gals on the assembly line suddenly have to put their usual tools away and get out the seldom used brazing torches. It might be a little more costly to lug any given joint rather than TIG it, but it's a lot more costly (and probably annoying) to have to retool the usual operation for a relatively small order. I would imagine that the fabrication company would be inclined back-burner Riv's orders until a slow day when they have nothing "better" to do, and then they'll charge a lot just for the added hassle of having to switch to an unusual procedure. That's the true added cost for a lugged frame in 2014. Thirty or forty years ago, even relatively cheap frames were lugged. Today, the lugged frame is a novelty.
To sell a high quality complete bike for $1500, it's more a matter of economy of scale, rather than finding a slightly cheaper way to make the frame tubes stick together. At dealer wholesale pricing on parts, I can't buy a Surly LHT frame and decent parts and expect to make a profit at $1500 retail. But Surly buys a few thousand frames and parts kits, so they can wholesale me a complete bike, and still leave enough margin for me to make a decent profit at the $1350 msrp. Riv is unlikely to compete with Surly on volume, but Riv can probably compete with the LHT quality and price at lower volumes simply because Riv mostly sells directly to customers, and doesn't have to account for a dealer profit margin. -- 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 http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
