Originally Posted by
ortcutt
...In other words, you like other, cheaper frames, that don't use proprietary lugs, better. Hooray! ("Adds no extra intrinsic value" means "adds nothing I like.")
No it doesn't mean that. Maybe intrinsic was the wrong word. What I meant was that the Riv lugs don't work any better than any lug they could get off the shelf. Their whole reason for using them (according to their website) is to make the bikes uniquely identifiable as Rivendells.
Originally Posted by
ortcutt
...In other words, you do not understand why other people like bikes you do not like, so therefore it is very likely that they are conspicuous consumers a la Thorstein Veblen. And what gives you this kind of insight into your fellow consumers' souls? Boo!
I didn't say every Riv buyer buys them because they are conspicuous consumers. I said that I find it
likely that
part of the appeal for
many buyers is that not many people own them.
There are people who own a Trek Madone because they want/need a really fast bike, even if it's only a little faster than a bike that costs half as much. There are many people who buy a Madone simply to own a "
Madone".
Do you really think I'm wrong on this one? It has nothing to do with the kind of bikes I like. I'd be happy to own both a Madone and a Riv, but I'm not willing to shell out the money for either.
Here's a little test. What if you were to take an Atlantis, strip off the paint and repaint it just as nicely, except instead of having Rivendell logos, badges and whatnot on it, you put a Trek or Surly logo on it, and called it the Antartica or something. Do think you could sell it to as many people for the same price even if you told folks that none of parts were sourced from China?