Happy Fantastic Rivendell Perfecto Shopping Experience!

[Grant Petersen]

It's not up to me, but I wish the subject titles like "Frustrated by Riv's lack of inventory" wouldn't stay alive for weeks. It may have made sense in the original post, and it's no up to me to change the rules of posting or threading or whatever, but tour inventory level right now is at the past 5-year average.

Our focus will be "fewer things but more of them." I've passed on many of the suggestions to Dave, who deals with that end of things. We are more limited than REI and L.L. Bean in that we buy an ecommerce package that we can afford, and it has more limitations than the unaffordable ones.

If any of you out there is in the business of making ecommerce sites better, or customizing them...then send both me and Dave (na...@rivbike.com) the same emails, and when Dave comes back on Thurs...well, maybe not that DAY, but soon after, he may get back to you. Our site runs on shopify--and we're not likely to change that soon. 

If any of you are familiar with that and can improve it, great. The last time we hired out for help, with a shopify expert, there was that messup with the credits--now solved, but hooboy.

There are better shopping sites than ours. I use them, too. But ours continues to improve, if slowly, and is better now than it has been in the past. Some of the improvements are on our end--the administration side.

G

On Thu, Apr 26, 2018 at 10:16 AM, Paul Choi <choi....@gmail.com> wrote:

Rivendell is not Amazon. We don't want them to be. Grant, please continue to do what you need to do. 

On Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 5:01:09 PM UTC-7, Michael Hechmer wrote:

OK, so I'm no longer a big bike spender, but I do own three Riv bikes and feel some loyalty to the company.  At 73 all I need are replacement parts.   I haven't ordered anything from RBW in two years because every time I try to put in an order half of what I need is out of stock.  

It's finally Spring in Vt and this week I pulled all the bikes out of the basement, cleaned & tuned them up.  I made a list of the replacement parts I needed, which was really very short - new HB tape and one tire.  Of course I can always use cleaner and lube so added them in, then threw in a chain guard for the Rambouillet.  Went to the RBW site and discovered that the tire I wanted was out of stock, as was the chain guard.  Not much point in putting in an order for HB tape and two items I can buy anywhere

VO has the tire (650b X 38 skin wall) and HB  tape, so once again no sale for RBW.

Michael

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to a topic in the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group.
To unsubscribe from this topic, visit https://groups.google.com/d/topic/rbw-owners-bunch/uYHDkdQuvXg/unsubscribe.
To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

[Eric Karnes]

I have to say...as far as e-commerce sites for smaller companies go (bicycle-related or otherwise), the Riv one pretty damned good. Well organized and easily navigable with just the right amount of Riv-ish quirky randomness. And I've had nothing but great experiences with ordering...except that time you guys sent me a suspended carbon frame instead of the Roadeo I ordered.

Keep up the good work,

Eric

To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.

[Joe Bernard]

The idea that Riv has an inventory problem is bollocks. Bollocks I say! Are they light on SRAM 11-speed road derailers? Well yeah, they have *one* because it was the wrong order for a bike build, otherwise it isn't a thing they sell. What Rivendell DOES have plenty of is the kind of frames, parts and gear they specialize in. It's not a full-range-o'-discount-parts Performance Bike shop or Amazon, and I don't expect them to have all that on hand at all times. Do they have some of it sometimes? Sure, I've ordered about a half-ton of cheapie mtb brake cables cuz it's 6 bucks (currently $4 on sale) so why not add it to an order? I keep using the inner wires right away, then stacking the housing until it's starting to look like an art project. But the point of Rivendell is the Rivendell-ish stuff they promote, and it's usually in stock. I like the shop, the people, the service. Two thumbs up! 👍👍

Joe "another happy customer" Bernard
Novato CA.

[iamkeith]

You're right. That was my bad. I'm quick to jump into an existing conversation sometimes, and to blab the first thoughts that come to mind even when they don't add anything, but shy about starting my own.

[CMR]

This deserves to get bumped to keep a positive headline in the forum as much as possible.

I love the photos on the Rivendell site, they are beautiful and say so much about the Rivendell culture. The item descriptions are not copy/pasted from the QBP catalog. I trust the people and the site and refresh the "last chance items" page a few times a week, to see what I should grab before it's too late!

-Chris

Berkeley, CA

[John Hawrylak]

Grant

I have always had a good shopping experience at RBW.   I can understand the inventory problems

John Hawrylak

Woodstown NJ

[PG]

Agree with above posters...the Riv shopping experience is quite intuitive and easy to navigate.

As for inventory issues, I think anyone who goes to Rivendell for their cycling needs understands that there are real world, money flow issues that a company the size of Riv has to grapple with. If all the bumps were removed, so would the humanity.

We are happy -- thrilled even -- that they even exist, let alone at such a professional level!

[Ron Mc]

One day I'll be in a position to buy a new Rivendell frame (right now rigging up daughter's bikes to take to college - she'll be living in a condo 2 miles off campus).  In the meantime, shop Rivendell whenever they have what I need and have never been disappointed.  

[Ryan M.]

I've always found the website lovely even back when it had a tweed border....loved it.

To unsubscribe from this group and all its topics, send an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com.

[Christopher Murray]

Rivendell is just amazing. If you can’t think of 5 incredible things that the folks of Riv have done then you either aren’t paying attention or haven’t been around long enough. Rivendell’s existence makes the world a better place— even if it is only one tiny corner of that world. I firmly believe this.

And the shopping experience is great too!

Chris

[Joe Bernard]

Christopher, I like 'em a lot. I'm notoriously nervous and weird in social situations which prevents me from visiting the shop more often, but when I manage to get myself there everyone is also so kind to me. As much as I appreciate the bikes and parts and the way Grant/Riv has changed cycling, it's that personal patience and kindness that really puts them over the top for me. Thanks, Grant and the gang!

Joe Bernard
Novato CA.

[Tim]

Last year I was going to be making my first trip to Riv HQ. It was a couple of months away, but I called because the head badge on the Hilsen was gone, and I wanted to make sure they had one I could buy and pick up when I came out. Will said, "You can't ride a Hilsen without a head badge for that long. What's your address?" He sent it to me that day, no charge. Of course, now that this is public, Will is going to have to answer to the shareholders at the quarterly meeting as to why he's giving away profits...

[Surlyprof]

I've had so many similar experiences.  One time Vince gave me a B,B,H patch because he remembered that we did a ride there on their last day as they were closing the store.  I went there last week with the intent of buying a new brake hanger since mine was stripped.  Instead, Vince just grabbed a couple of barrel adjusters and we had it fixed in minutes.  When I said that I was trying to figure out what I could buy, he said that the Hillborne looked pretty dialed as it was.  I'm sure I'll go back and buy a banana sack (they're awesome) once I figure out which color to buy.

Amazing people.make an amazing place. Visit just to see the gallery of b&w film photos they've hung on the walls.  Really nice.

John

Also tried out the new Atlantis.  Those of you who pre-ordered are going to be VERY happy.  So-o-o smooth!