I’m really quite taken with Rivendell Bicycles and am trying to decide what sort I should buy. Frankly I’m trying to decide if I should even buy one, but there you go.
The two I think I can manage are the Quickbeam, a lovely single speed bike. They don’t have many left and there’s actually only one in the 66cm recommended for my size (95PBH).
But there’s also the Sam Hillborne, a geared bike that can be described (by Riv folks) as a “country bike.” It’s a lovely bike too as this shot from EcoVelo will attest.
Right now they don’t have a Hillborne they’d recommend for me as their sizing only goes up to 60cm and they think I should get the 64cm due sometime in March. That will be double top tube bike much like their current Bombadil which is also a lovely bike which I got to ride when I was in Oakland last March.
I can’t afford both. In many ways I can’t afford either one by itself…but when you want a bicycle, you want a bicycle. I come closest to being able to afford the QB as is a complete bike at $1600 (sans pedals, saddle, or bar tape). Kitted out the way I’d prefer puts it up to $2000 or so, which is more or less the base price of the Sam.
What to do? What to do?
Aloha!
Slower, cheaper, less useful…