I have not practiced a lot of restraint this past year with buying Rivendell bikes and my n+1 has increased significantly. I currently ride a Joe, Sam and Rambouillet. Though I can’t speak to the Roadini, Will did describe the Ram as very similar to the Roadini but with Lugs. In terms of ride reports, one thing I have noticed is that Grant’s descriptions tend to be right on. That doesn’t stop me from reading these discussions but when I go compare my own experience with Grant’s description, my experience supports Grant’s description. Each bike is set up different, which can also impact the ride.
At a high level, my Joe is setup to carry a load - often my kid and groceries. It carries weight well. The Sam is in between - it is not a road bike but setup with lighter wheels and tires. The Ram is my go fast from Scott on the list with dura ace and Chris King wheels, The Joe was the first bike I purchased and I loved it. My best description is it rides like a boat, and I mean that in a good way. It is steady and smooth on the road and leans in turns. I can cruise along and enjoy the scenery. It handles dirt great does wonderful with a load. The Sam felt like a fast bike when I got it. It just responds faster. It is comfortable while still feeling like it can move. I could probably set it up like the Joe and it would ride different. I am not sure what would happen if swapped components. The Ram does feel faster. I wouldn’t load it up but I feel like I am moving when I ride it and after getting used to drops again, really enjoy the ride. I wouldn’t want to put a kids seat on it. It feels like it wants to be a light, go fast bike. If I had to choose two bikes, I would choose the Sam and Ram. I like the Joe but I also don’t think I use it in the way I get the most value. I might end up selling it on the list but I also enjoy riding it with my kid. The Sam is the perfect all rounder. I could tour with it and probably get 90% of the use I do with Joe if I added more racks and the child seat. I could also get the Sam close to the Ram and make make it close the 90% of the go-fast bike. The Ram is a lot of fun and a great complement to the Sam. It’s great to have a bike that I don’t put a lot of racks on and keep stripped down. I think Grant spoke about the Roadini in this way. Bill’s descriptions of the Black Mountain Cycles makes me want to add another bike to the stable. Both the Mountain Cross and the Road bike sound great and perhaps I would get a disc version of one of those bikes. In short, if I had just one bike I would probably go with the Sam for its versatility. N plus 1 is the Sam and Ram. If I added a third bike, I might go with a Clem L in hindsight but I still love the Joe. -- 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. 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.
