Jerry Moos wrote:
"I think one thing that will hurt Rivendell's collectibility is the uncertainty over who built them. Grant seems to be constantly changing the production location and builders. Fortunately, in the case of the top model, nearly all of the half dozen or more guys who have built them have been really top builders. But it seems that the bikes most sought after in KOF circles are those built by the hand of just one guy who the customer knows, like Baylis, Sachs, Gordon or Fattic. Also, the lesser models built in in the US and now in Japan have probably undermined the Rivendell image just a bit."
I don't know Grant, and I don't own a Riv. But I do enjoy the thoughtfulness that he seems to bring to every product decision he makes. If there is such a thing as a KOF Attitude (not just a Retro Attitude) he would occupy a top spot in the category. I would be seriously surprised if he's catering to the future market for vintage bicycles. How many of the classic bikes we're now eager to own were built with future collectability in mind? Who built all the collectable Bianchis? Do collectors now value classic Bianchis less because of the firm's later (or concurrent) consumer-level products?
The history of creative efforts is littered with long-term failures that were extremely popular in their day, and revered masters that were ignored or scorned in theirs. Only time will tell, and our opinions will probably amount to squat to a collector 50 years from now. Trying to create something today that is an instant collectable gets you... the Franklin Mint!
Dave Ross Portola Valley, CA
PS I now expect the Bianchi experts to fill me in about the provenance of every bike made up until 1983!