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Shop
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Rivendell Dealers
Our Current Dealers. From East to West.
(Please call them to check availability before making a 3 hour drive.)
All nice people.
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Harris Cyclery
1353 Washington Street
West Newton, Massachusetts 02465
(617) 244 9772
http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/index.html
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Mountain Sports, Ltd.
1021 Commonwealth Avenue
Bristol, Virginia 24201
(276) 466 8988
http://www.mountainsportsltd.com/
a testimonial
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The Country Bike Shop
215 E. Market St.
Celina, Ohio 45822
(419) 584 0303
http://www.countrybikeshop.com
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Hiawatha Cyclery
4301 East 54th St.
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417
(612) 727 2565
http://hiawathacyclery.com/
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Free Range Cycles
3501 Phinney Ave No.
Seattle WA
(206) 547-8407
http://www.freerangecycles.com/
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Rivendell was formed as a direct-to-you business, which is the best way to sell speciality, high-end goods that are far off the mainstream and often require more expertise and passion than a typical bike shop can muster. We don't want our bikes to be presented as nostalgic throw-backs in a sea of dark carbon fiber low-bar bikes with black parts and not enough spokes. And that's exactly how they'd seem in a typical bike shop.
And another thing: We don't have the built-in profit margins that allow the bikes to pass through extra hands on their way to you. And even another: Do we really want an uninformed sales associate trying to explain why this steel frame costs so much, and by the way, what are those things with the swirls called? Nupe! So for those reasons and more, we intentionally limit the number of dealers we have. We make sure they're well-informed, but always keep our fingers crossed. They are supposed to size you the same way we do. In all cases, they're committed to our bikes and knowledgeable about them. WE DON'T CONTROL THEM, though. They are independents.
The question may come up: Should you buy from us or them? The answer is simple: Buy from the source who helps you the most in person or on the phone. It's all about "live time", with a "long i" sound in "live." In other words, if you find out about the bikes at one of our few dealer shops, and you take up their time and test ride their bike, then it 's bad form to buy it from us.
On the other hand, if you call up here and we spend a lot of time on the phone and by email with you, or even come by and get fitted here and test ride bikes here and THEN say good-bye and say you like to "support your local dealer," something is missing there, too. At the end of the day, time is worth something.
Another way is to split the deal, if there's no clear-cut winner. Frame from us, parts and build from them. All of our dealers have access to the same parts we use to assemble bikes. Or frame from them parts from us, and they build it up. It's not tricky; just patronize those who help you.
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