DQ: Which surly?
DQ: Which surly?[/quote]
LHT im assuming.
crosscheck homies
If i remember correctly the lht is a taiwanese knockoff of the atlantis.
great tarckbike.com post, or best tarckbike.com post ever?
if you have the money, there’s nothing wrong with riv bikes and their philosophy.
but the idea that a cheaper brand like surly “knocked off” riv’s $2k version of a mid 80s sport-touring MTB frameset is amusing
other than rear suspension linkage patents, there are no ‘knock-off’ bikes. period.
anyone who feels that they are a victim of this needs to stfu and realize that bikes have been around longer than they have and will continue to be around long after they are gone and forgotten. competition is one of the things that keeps the industry going.
That diet sounds very interesting but damn difficult for a vegetarian.
i read it somewhere, that it was a copy of the geo and gp didn’t care cause they were giving it to the masses who didn’t have $$. have a feeling i read that somewhere in tarck 2009 when everyone still liked gp.
atlantis has 72/72 HTA/STA on all sizes (give or take a full degree). LHT has slack HT/steep ST on smaller models (i think their 42cm is like 70.5/74.5). riv doesn’t give head tube length info in geometry, but the LHT has 2cm longer chainstays (among 26"-wheeled framesets). rake is 40mm vs. 45mm.
so, no, not a copy. they’re certainly similar to each other, though.
i don’t memorize the geo of various frames, but yeah, i was misguided on that. i got the impression somewhere that it was a carbon copy, which what i meant by knockoff.
[quote=Toast]if you have the money, there’s nothing wrong with riv bikes and their philosophy.
but the idea that a cheaper brand like surly “knocked off” riv’s $2k version of a mid 80s sport-touring MTB frameset is amusing[/quote]
When QBP was rolling out Surly on a large scale, QBP reps came by the shops to pitch their new brand. She told us that the Surly Cross Check “generously borrowed” (or some other euphemism) from a certain Rivendell model whose name escapes me. I don’t know about the LHT. Both are made in the same factory (Maxway in Taiwan), though you would hardly need the same factory if you were simply mimicking a geometry sheet.
I’m grant you that it’s a chicken-and-egg scenario, but it’s undeniable that Surly has gobbled a large portion of the market that was once almost exclusively Rivendells. Before Surly, there were very few options other that a Riv for anyone who wanted a steel road bike of any kind, much less one that fit fenders and wide tires.
i was wondering about the second point here – trying to figure out who was making steel frames in late 90s/early 2000s on a surly-style level (other than touring bikes like the 520).
i suppose lemond had a few nice road models in that time period, and i’m pretty sure bianchi has always had a couple steel frames (including, i think, the older volpe and axis, which are vaguely riv-esque). same for whenever specialized made the modern, oversized tubing steel allez, though that certainly lacks tire/fender/rack capabilities.
also, while i can certainly see how the the xcheck was inspired by/borrowed from a riv model, the notoriously short head tube on it probably hurts its odds at directly competing with a rivendell model (assuming potential riv owners know a little bit about geometry, and prefer an upright riding position). i feel like the pacer – and the soma smoothie, and kona honky tonk – do a better job at rivendell replication.
heron on a much smaller scale.
In the comments of that article Grant goes on to say that Riv will doing a big-tire frame that’ll fit 50s with just primer on it for $720. this is more what I was hoping for, than the sport-toury Soma San Marcos/Amos.
also, he’s writing a book. I’m stoked on that.
He talks about the soma bike and how he only gets a $6 kickback per bike.
Amazing…Found some pictures of this bike from the other site… The Soma/Rivendell bike comes in some pretty limited sizing.The bike looks amazing…This frame is perfect for anybody who wants a really nice, super comfortable, attractive, safe, and versatile bike for well under $2000…
bikes for sale
Oh you crafty dick eater 
lol
lollin
tc: i clicked that link