To scare up more business, Petersen started publishing a literary quarterly called the Rivendell Reader.

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"Our whole business is based on selling things that are unpopular, " says the 49-year-old founder and sole owner of Rivendell Bicycle Works.

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Rivendell, Gollum, the trolls, and the Great Goblin all make an appearance.

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And, yes, he has auditioned other framemakers to make a dent in the Rivendell backlog but--as one might expect--has found them all wanting.

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The extra dimension added a nice depth to the beautiful countryside and to the cities of Dale and Rivendell, or to the massive flying eagles.

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For overnight lodging, choose between the Rivendell Guest House, which is quiet, affordable and has a swimming pool, or the upmarket Hotel Heinitzburg, a former castle built in 1914.

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The market is wide open to folks like Kathleen Hannon, a San Francisco bicycle messenger who puts up to 250 miles a week on her Rivendell Atlantis (that's on weekends and after work).

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