I purchased one of the demo Roadeos earlier this year. I'm not a roadie (I was a mountain biker as a kid and have always been more of a bum around for fun / transportation type of bike guy). But I'm also fairly thin and wirey for my height, so I liked the Roadeo's lighter tubing and a bit of forgiveness in the frame. My longer distance frame before the Roadeo was a custom-built Surly Cross Check, which I probably only took it on a total of five or six rides. I know people love them, but between the stout frame, touring wheelset, and short head tube, it was a pretty uncomfortable bike for me.
The Roadeo, on the other hand, has been wonderful. Its ride is smooth and lively (which is a tough combo to find). I actually have it outfitted with VO Porteur bars at the moment. I've just never been able to get into drops...though I'm trying. One thing I've found is that is is much more than simply a dedicated road bike. Mine sees its share of dirt and gravel. And with Jack Browns or 35mm cross tires, it's awesome! I probably don't ride it as much as I should, as most of my rides are city commutes/errands which I do on my SimpleOne (through stickers and highly beusaged parts, I'm creating a wonderful bike that looks like a beater to deter thieves...very much like that old SNL bit for the urban luxury car). Eric On Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 12:01:44 PM UTC-4, Ryan Fleming wrote: > > I guess I have sort of the same issue with my 2001 custom Road which is > fenderless right now. I won't commute to work on it because where I work, > there's quite the rogue's gallery of people lurking around "shopping" for > bikes and/or parts. But though I'm certainly not a fast clubby rider, I do > enjoy the road bike with the drop bars (Nitto "Dream" bars), especially > with those dreamy TRP levers and now new to me Compass 32mm extra tires > for longer (up to 50 mile) rides. Anyway, from what I've read, the Roadeo > is , like my old custom, purely a road bike with the predictable handling > of all Rivs and maybe that's its best intended use...granted it's not gonna > freak out on a little gravel. I would opt for B, but if you feel you don't > ride it enough , you want to commute, you don't have to bring the kitchen > sink with you and you have a secure parking spot, go for A. You have a > beautiful bike there; if you get rid of it, I think you might feel a little > seller's remorse. > > Myself, I'm not ready to get rid of my road bike yet because it is > fast,comfortable and light riding (No, I don't know how much it weighs,but > it rides light :) ) > > Ryan Fleming, Winnipeg > > On Tuesday, July 26, 2016 at 8:57:19 AM UTC-5, Tim Gavin wrote: >> >> I picked up a Roadeo frame from a list member this winter. It's >> gorgeous, wonderful, and fast. I built it up using the group from my >> previous gofast, a '97 Giordana Xl-Eco with Sachs New Success 8-speed >> Ergopower. >> >> The Roadeo is my second Riv; I have a '97 Road Standard that I've turned >> into a 650b rando/touring bike. So, I promised myself I'd leave the >> fenders and racks off my Roadeo to keep it light. >> >> The problem is, I don't want to ride the Roadeo if it's raining or rained >> recently since it doesn't have fenders; I don't want to get it (or myself) >> dirty! I have 4 other fendered bikes. >> Also, I don't ride it to commute to work because it only has a small >> saddlebag; I can't take my change of clothes. I have 4 other bikes that >> can easily carry the load. >> >> I'm not a "roadie" and I don't do club rides; most of my riding is >> commuting in town, riding gravel, trails, or touring. I didn't ride the >> Giordana much because its 57 cm frame turned out to be too small. The 59 >> cm Roadeo frame solved the size issue, but it hasn't turned me into a >> roadie yet. :) >> >> So, I should: >> A) Add fenders and a larger saddlebag to the Roadeo so it can be used for >> commuting? >> or, >> B) Just ride the Roadeo more in its natural habitat (pavement) and take a >> day off from the gravel/trails? >> >> >> >> This was my initial build. Since the photo session, I've: >> + changed the tires to 32 mm Panaracer Gravel King SKs >> <http://www.panaracer.com/gravelkingsk> (from 38 mm Challenge Gravel >> Grinders, spares from another bike) I'd probably have preferred the slick >> 32 mm GKs, but I found the knobby SKs on sale. >> + changed the crank to a Velo Orange Cyclotouriste 46/30 >> <http://store.velo-orange.com/index.php/components/cranksets/cranks/grand-cru-50-4bcd-crankset-mkii.html> >> (from >> the 52/39 Sachs NS/Campy 135 mm BCD crank) >> + added a Gilles Berthoud 786 saddle bag, in matchy matchy dark grey >> <http://www.internet-bikes.com/producten/original/gilles_berthoud_zadeltas_gb786bkf_24l_grijs_77466.jpg> >> >> (purchased from a listmember). >> >> Cheers, >> Tim >> >> On Tue, Jul 26, 2016 at 8:25 AM, Nick Ybarra <nyb...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> Don, I believe I've got one of your old Roadeos, actually -- recently >>> acquired by way of Bruce S -- and I'm loving it so far. Currently, I'm >>> running the 700x35c Kojaks it came with, but am thinking of switching to >>> some slightly skinnier Compass tires or even some Ruffy Tuffys (I too am a >>> roadie and only weigh 140lbs). But yeah, with 44cm Noodles, the feel of >>> the bike is so, so comfortable. >>> >>> >>> On Monday, July 25, 2016 at 11:47:52 PM UTC-5, Don Compton wrote: >>>> >>>> I bought a Roadeo the first year they were available and it's been my >>>> main and recently only bike. I have always enjoyed Grant's bikes, but I am >>>> a roady. I use really skinny 700x28 Grand Bois tires pumped up 65f and >>>> 75r. >>>> Seriosly, for most club riders, the Roadeo is probably the best bike >>>> they could ever ride, especially on the fast, curvy downhills in the >>>> Berkeley hills. >>>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to rbw-owners-bun...@googlegroups.com. >>> To post to this group, send email to rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> >> -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. 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