It's funny... when I originally posed the question, it was more about me than about my friend. He truly appreciated my Atlantis. He has an old T-Bird and a vintage motor boat, so he loved the artistry and craftsmanship of the riv. And he was never going to buy one. The part I didn't mention was that he may in fact sell the Crossroads and buy an old Raleigh or something funky. But his biking budget is $150, and he's quite happy with that.
But mostly it was about me realizing that for as much as I ride, there are a lot of bikes that would work, including a $450 Fuji. I spent the extra couple of grand because I love the artistry and craftsmanship and the expression of the Atlantis. I love the creamy green blue color. I have always kept the little throwaway seat tube plug on my desk to remind me every day about my bike. I even love the name Atlantis, because I live on the East Coast and it makes me think of the ocean. And what is weird to me is that I bought the frame sight unseen and bike unridden. I had bid on one on Ebay for no other reason than it seemed like a good deal for a steel bike. And then I got curious and I called Rivendell and Grant answered the phone and the next thing I know I'm buying a bike. I took his word for everything and I have never been happier with a bike. So... that's all I was noodling on. I couldn't rationally explain the extra $2500 I spent, but I just knew that I couldn't be happier having done it. OK, time to stop typing and go out riding. Thanks for the comments. On Apr 4, 6:08 pm, eflayer <[email protected]> wrote: > it may be old news as i have discussed this before here and/or > elsewhere. > > i am an appreciator of fine bikes. i own a few at this time. > > and my 2008 Fuji Touring retailed for $900. i got it slightly used > for $450. replaced a few parts and added a few. > > it does not look as good as a riv or many other more expensive bikes. > but it rides as good if not better than any bike i have ever owned. > > the question is about the values each of holds near and dear to our > cycling hearts. some like the art form, some the function, most like > the blend. and then it is still about what is important to YOU. my > Fuji certainly taught me a fine lesson about what it costs to achieve > great function. only you can decied if another $2K for good looks > makes sense for you. > > the downside of my Fuji for me it is the color scheme of the paint for > 2008. but that scheme is much more to my liking for 2010. that does > not change the decency of the ride and functionality. > > On Apr 4, 7:36 am, Buck <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I go visit my friend, RIck, on Cape Cod. He never rides, but we're > > gonna ride the Cape Cod bike trail just for fun. He drags an old > > Specialized Crossroads out of the garage. It's maybe early/mid 90's > > and a hybrid-y kind of thing. I have my Atlantis. Rick is very > > mechanical (think cars, boats, motorcycles) and very handy (rebuilt > > much of his house). He's oohing and ahhing over the Atlantis. Asks me > > what I like about it. I tell him how comfy it is. Bars a little higher > > than the seat, long wheelbase, large triangle, etc. With his bike next > > to mine, the frame triangles are noticeably different. So I'm barking > > about his small tubes and all that stuff. While we're talking, he > > takes a tape measure off his belt... > > > Despite the obvious difference in tube lengths, our wheelbases are > > almost identical (we're both the same height). His seat is the same > > height as mine (though his top tube is much lower). His bars are > > actually about the same height. The seat to pedal distance is about > > the same. In other words, the frame sizes are radically different... > > his seat tube extends way more than mine and his stem is taller, but > > hey, sitting on our bikes is pretty much identical. > > > I can recite all the coefficient of linear plentitudes and cosines of > > the primary hypotenuse stuff, but beyond the theory, he was looking at > > me like hey, I l-o-v-e your Atlantis, but tell me again why... if I'm > > not riding across Nepal... your Atlantis is better than my $75 > > craigslist special if we're just going for a ride?? > > > I had a great $1000 answer. Because the Atlantis is sooooo cool. But I > > didn't have a good $2500-3000 answer. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected]. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
