"Clearly not enough people will pay 1k for a dedicated SS frame" Maybe part of the problem was the fixation (no pun intended) on "single." Even though some have disparaged the thought that the SO/QB would be used with an IGH, I'm thinking why not? In fact, maybe it should have been market to work specifically with an IGH. Maybe the true ancestor of the SO/QB is really a classic Raleigh 3-speed? Maybe "Valvoline" green should have been "British Racing Green" instead?
Positioned this way, people who aren't one-speed fans would have thought differently about the bike. Wouldn't a re-born classic 3 (still maintaining the versatility to be all the other things the SO/QB can be) be just the ticket from a company that's all about nice, practical everyday bikes? It's all academic now, of course... On Monday, April 9, 2012 10:11:48 PM UTC-4, ted wrote: > > Jim writes: "People think "single-speed" and in the same thought they > think "beater" or "winter bike" or "bar bike" or whatever other > utilitarian, un-romantic category applies." > > I figure Jim's dealt with way more folks buying bikes than I have so I > wouldn't take issue with him about what "people" in the aggregate > think. But I sure don't think that way. When I got my first ss/fixed > bike (after grade school that is), I was concerned about winter in the > midwest. I didn't want rear derailers freezing up packed full of > slush. I wanted fenders so I wouldn't get covered with slush. I > thought the 1/8th inch chain would lower the loads and wear better. > But I wasn't particularly thinking cheep. I got campi track hubs, > moderate weight tubular rims, suntour superbe cranks, lyotard platform > pedals (ok they weren't expensive but they were nice), and chinelli > bar and stem. If I could have afforded a better frame I think I would > have. > > I understand fear of theft driving a desire for cheep. But not fear of > the elements. I have never hesitated to take a nice bike out into the > rain or snow because I was afraid it would get wrecked. I also see no > conflict between utilitarian and aesthetics/elegance/beauty etc. Have > you ever used snap-on tools? > > Clearly not enough people will pay 1k for a dedicated SS frame and > fork to support the SO/QB in the marketplace. I just find it odd if > thats not because almost nobody (outside of hipsterdom which, as noted > previously, has a different aesthetic) really knows they like riding > em. Of course I think lots of things are odd. > > On Apr 9, 3:16 am, Jim Thill - Hiawatha Cyclery <thill....@gmail.com> > wrote: > > Also, in reference to Ted's comment about the Cross-check being more an > analog to the Hillborne than to the SO: > > > > That's definitely true if you're talking about the Cross-check as a > geared bike. In that case, the two bikes have a lot of similarities, except > one looks fancier and costs $600 more (for the frameset only). The price > difference is more profound if you compare the CC stock complete bike to a > similarly equipped Hillborne, which is not available as a mass-market > complete bike. But lots of people, for various reasons, think the price > difference on the Riv is plenty acceptable. Lots of people are willing to > shell out for a special bike. Cool. > > > > But single-speeds are different. People think "single-speed" and in the > same thought they think "beater" or "winter bike" or "bar bike" or whatever > other utilitarian, un-romantic category applies. In that case, you look at > that $600 price difference and you think about rust and dents, and that > Surly, what it lacks in panache, it makes up in ruggedness and, ultimately, > in the worst case scenario, replaceability. In the case of single-speeds, > the preciousness that many of us assign to Rivendell bicycles is a > drawback. And that's why I say more mundane frames like the CC make it hard > to sell the QB/SO. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/q-gMrbjru68J. 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.
