Is Rivendell Bicycleworks a cult?

I am a Rivendell bicycle owner and have had my long-low since 2000. But, I am concerned that the rush to reject the racing-centric culture (that Grant Petersen seems to accuse of dominating the cycling industry culture and spoiling cycling for average cyclists) that he, in my opinion, has developed a counter-culture that is as close minded as the one he seems to be rejecting.

I believe this counter culture is beyond retro and is becoming stubborn, close minded and not good for cycling. In my experience some of the things that Petersen expouses just don't work for me. An example is friction shifting. When somebody posts to the Rivendell Email list and complains that something hasn't worked for them, I have not seen enough support for a rider friendly philosophy that abmits what works for one cyclist may not be the best approach for another. In my opinion the Rivendell way is not the best way for everybody. For me, I have found some of it works for me and some does not.

Even worse, in my opinion, is the implicit rejection among those who post to the same list and those print such publications as the Rivendell Reader of basic safety devices such as helmets or raised edges on fork dropouts. (These are often derided as "lawyer lips.") Cyclists without helmets are often prominently placed in both the cataloge and the reader. I love my Rivendell long-low bicycle, but I am afraid this change cult-like emergence may hurt cyclists, Rivendell and cycling in the long run.