> Has any magazine or anyone ever done a controlled test
> to see if riders can tell the difference between a
> mass market bike like the Riv. Bleriot from Taiwan vs.
> a Rivendell Custom, for instance?
>
I think there are very few (maybe just this one) cases where there can be bikes as you describe: two identical in every external respect as far as fit and geometry, though if the Riv model was custom, then it wouldn't be the same as any of the stock bikes. I'd also have to say that I would not consider the alt.Riv models to be "mass market", in the same fashion as maybe current Schwinns, etc. I would classify Riv's overseas suppliers as maybe "limited production". In the industry, the term mass market actually refers to the dept store bikes, which I don't think you meant, but there are many name-brand bikes coming from very large production, automated factories making bikes for anyone who pays. These are still quite a bit above mass market in design and quality.
I think the limited production houses can be the small, custom builder's toughest competition. Waterford, Serotta, IF, etc are in the same league as Toyo, and they can offer a product very, very close in all aspects to most 1/2/3 man frame shops. Look at what Match did with three people.
As far as the comparison, I would think it would be near impossible to tell the difference within the confines of the normal road test. It might depend on how "custom" the custom was. In cases of extremes there could be a tube dia or gauge or butt length selection that might benefit the rider, that the stock bike wouldn't have. But the difference would still be minor and only discernable under unique circumstances. There could be some construction variations that affected post-weld alignment, or finishing/clean-up, or durability on a 10-30 year time scale, but these are things that won't show in any road test, and would even be hard to spot if the frame was stripped of paint and inspected.
I don't argue that the value of a custom bike is only in the external and aesthetic. Even if your fit doesn't require a custom layout, there is a lot to appreciate in the details of an artisan frame that even the best limited production can't match. In functional value terms, I think the limited production bikes are probably at the top. But if I wanted the next level of workmanship, subtle fit or geometry changes, or certain design/functional additions, there's only one way to get it.
RATHER than a test, such as the Bicycle Guide one, where matching bikes are made with different tubes or from different builders, and they attempt to discern if there's a difference, I'd like to see a design competition road test. ONE tester provides identical fit info, rider bio info, and unique functional needs to five different builders, and see how each builder solves the problems and makes their creation most appropriate for that one rider. There may not actually end being a "winner" but the results would certainly be interesting.
Jon Schaer
Columbus, OH