Name changes for Rivendell brands and models?

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Philip Williamson

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Nov 9, 2010, 2:16:10 AM11/9/10
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I've wondered about this for a while, and it's been percolating around
my brain for a couple of days in earnest. Why do you think Rivendell
changes model names and house brands the way they do?

The "Quickbeam" is now the "SimpleOne," but it appears to be the same
design.
The Bombadil changed from a double top tube to a diaga-tube and kept
its name.
The Romulus' two tallest sizes were a whole 'nother model, the
Redwood.
Bagginses out, Sackvilles in.

On the other hand, the Atlantis has been in production for a decade,
unchanged even in color (as far as I know).

Do you think it's just for fun? Is there's a magic notebook of awesome
bike names that Grant is working through? Is it a way to differentiate
price points on similar bikes?

Hoping I'm not the only one who wonders these things,
Philip

Philip Williamson
www.biketinker.com


cyclotourist

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Nov 9, 2010, 2:22:43 AM11/9/10
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It's a way to avoid the wrath of Peter Jackson's attorneys. 

Barristers of the Shire are no joke!




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Cheers,
David
Redlands, CA

...in terms of recreational cycling there are many riders who would probably benefit more from
improving their taste than from improving their performance.
- RTMS

Ken Freeman

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Nov 9, 2010, 6:24:46 AM11/9/10
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Have to get the Ents to impose some stability.
Ken Freeman
Ann Arbor, MI USA

John Blish

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Nov 9, 2010, 2:48:30 AM11/9/10
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Just in the case of Quickbeam / SimpleOne there might be a specific reason that applies. 

QB was made in Japan by Panasonic.  SimpleOne frame will come from Taiwan as I understand it and is the fork going to be from Japan?.  QB was only ever available as a complete bike AFAIK.  SimpleOne can be had as just frame and fork, I believe.  I could be remembering all this incorrectly.  

The different names are to distinguish the two different bikes and their origins although they have the same design.  Yes?


Big Redwoods might have had some different tubes than Romulus even though the geometry was the same.  Just a guess. 

Grant wanted the big guys to feel special so he gave it a different name.  You know how the big guys are always whining and complaining about no frames to fit them.   Boo Hoo.  Poor big guys. 

Under this logic, technically the canti-Roms should have had a different name, too, so maybe I have the whole thing wrong.  I think by the time GP realized the canti-Roms were on the way it was too late to give them a different name.  Remember, they were kind of unintended and produced due to a less than perfect communication.


-jb - has a 58 QB and two 59 Romulus bikes and is not looking for a fight with any big guys - in Minneapolis. 

But if you are a big guy lets say I am in Buffalo, Wyoming.  Yeah, that's where I am.   


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Tim McNamara

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Nov 9, 2010, 9:54:03 AM11/9/10
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Lords of the Tort.

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> improving their taste than from improving their performance. - RTMS
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Montclair BobbyB

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Nov 9, 2010, 9:57:49 AM11/9/10
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Gollum likely suggested the "Sackville" name, because he "hates
Bagginses"...
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> > David
> > Redlands, CA
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> > improving their taste than from improving their performance. - RTMS
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Peter Pesce

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Nov 9, 2010, 10:10:41 AM11/9/10
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I think it's just Grant having fun.

The Sam has the same name whether it's Taiwan or Waterford, canti or
caliper, single top tube or double...

On Nov 9, 2:48 am, John Blish <jbl...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Just in the case of Quickbeam / SimpleOne there might be a specific reason
> that applies.
>
> QB was made in Japan by Panasonic.  SimpleOne frame will come from Taiwan as
> I understand it and is the fork going to be from Japan?.  QB was only ever
> available as a complete bike AFAIK.  SimpleOne can be had as just frame and
> fork, I believe.  I could be remembering all this incorrectly.
>
> The different names are to distinguish the two different bikes *and* their
> > rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com<rbw-owners-bunch%2Bunsu...@googlegroups.com>
> > .

cm

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Nov 9, 2010, 10:49:05 AM11/9/10
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I think about 4-5 years ago Grant posted that the lawyers called and
said that they may have some issues with the names. The gist was if
the bikes/products had the names BEFORE the movie (like Rivendell)
they were ok, if the names came AFTER the movies, then they were not
ok. If i remember correctly he said the Legolas was definitely out and
the Quickbeam was questionable. I would guess that the name changes
are to be on the safe side. I would guess impending lawsuits/ threats
of lawsuits takes the fun away a little bit and they decided why not
just leave the LOTR thing alone as much as possible.

Cheers!
cm

grant

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Nov 9, 2010, 12:03:32 PM11/9/10
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Name changes
It's a mix of bad decisions, good decisions, fear of lawyers, and not
wanting to go the way of Specialized and REI, with Rockhopper and
Allez being a steel bike with a unifork then, and a totally diff bike
now; and the Randonneur being steel then and Whatever it is now.
The people who own the rights to Middle Earth names did contact us,
but it turns out they didn't have exactly an elephant's leg to stand
on (more like a pirate's), and as part of a no-money exchanged
settlement, we agreed to retire certain names, with QB being one of
them, and Baggins. Some of the others we can keep. And "Rivendell."

When you change a bike some and don't change the name there's always
the chance that somebody will wreck the original and want to replace
it, and now they can't get the same name, even if it is essentially
the same bike. In the SimpleOne's case....the plan was to come close
to the QB, but minorly change it. It will likely be a ONE speed
(depends on some things beyond our control right now), and so the ONE
makes sense. It will have sidepulls. Now that we have sidepulls with
dimensions that allow good clearances, it's time.

So...that's 'bout it!
G

On Nov 9, 12:16 am, Philip Williamson <philip.william...@gmail.com>
wrote:

William

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Nov 9, 2010, 12:34:03 PM11/9/10
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This is a total tangent but I was on a quick little lunchtime spin
when I realized I have no idea what the A. in A. Homer Hilsen stands
for. What does the A. stand for? Whatever I want it to stand for?

Jon Grant

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Nov 9, 2010, 12:04:27 PM11/9/10
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William <tape...@gmail.com> wondered:

This is a total tangent but I was on a quick little lunchtime spin
when I realized I have no idea what the A. in A. Homer Hilsen stands
for. What does the A. stand for? Whatever I want it to stand for?

-------

Aloysius.

--
Jon "Truly Clueless" Grant, who wants to ride but should work, in
Austin, Texas


William

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Nov 9, 2010, 1:11:51 PM11/9/10
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Aloysius was my obvious first guess. Second guess was Abercrombie.
Third guess was Augustus. Fourth guess was Archibald.

On Nov 9, 9:04 am, Jon Grant <jgr...@papagrant.com> wrote:
> William <tapebu...@gmail.com> wondered:

William

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Nov 9, 2010, 5:39:28 PM11/9/10
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....and I took the fun out of it by calling Riv. Dave (who owns and
A.H.H.) didn't know, so he asked Grant. He came back to the phone to
say it's just A. It doesn't stand for anything. Maybe like the 'J'
in Michael 'J' Fox or the 'S' in Ulysses 'S' Grant. Dave encouraged
me to have my 'A' stand for whatever I want it to stand for.

Philip Williamson

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Nov 10, 2010, 2:02:14 AM11/10/10
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Well there ya go!
The "lawerly" aspect didn't even occur to me. The "Stumpjumper Effect"
may have.

Philip

Philip Williamson
www.biketinker.com

On Nov 9, 9:03 am, grant <grant...@gmail.com> wrote:

Philip Williamson

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Nov 10, 2010, 2:02:50 AM11/10/10
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I think it's more fun that A stands for A.

Philip
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