PDKL45

I don't disagree with you, in that Rivendell bikes are fairly unique. Still, the Specialized AWOL, that company's most Rivendellesque bike, is pushing 44" in the larger sizes.

While Rivendell occupy a singular niche, to quote Jan Heine, "When Bridgestone USA closed in 1994, many mourned the loss of what they saw as the last bastion of sensible design in the quickly changing world of bicycles. They rejoiced when later that year, Bridgestone’s marketing manager Grant Petersen started Rivendell Bicycle Works. ... Everything that followed – the steel bikes from Surly, Soma, All City, etc.; the renewed popularity of handbuilt custom bicycles that since has swept the world; the comeback of classic components; even Compass Cycles – can trace its roots to the moment when Grant Petersen stood up and said: “I love steel and lugs. Why not?”"

Grant's ideas have been instrumental and have informed many of the designers producing "adventure" bikes. The tire clearance, fenders, racks, relatively low gearing and geometry of my Specialized AWOL all owe a big debt to Grant Petersen's ideas (although he would probably be able to write a compelling and well-crafted article against its disc brakes). While you're right, in that Rivendell bikes are fairly unique and no one else is making bikes just like them, I am appreciative of the fact that Grant's ideas have spread and have pollinated other minds.